Master Interview with Paul Speckmann - Diabolical Conquest Webzine

DC (Nin Chan) : Hails, Paul! For readers who are unaware of your significance to the extreme metal we all take for granted, I thought it would be significant for us to first frame the name “Paul Speckmann” in the grander context of heavy metal. You were the architect of the truly legendary Funeral Bitch and Death Strike, churned out some GREAT thrash metal with Abomination (“Tragedy Strikes” kicks ass!), set forth some truly excellent and original doomy metal with the original War Cry lineup, enlisted in the Czech death metal army Krabathor somewhat recently, and of course, for the past 20 years, you've been nurturing the underground institution that is Master. Additionally, you've also been involved in the Speckmann Project and Solutions, both of which I have yet to hear. What significance do each of these bands play in representing Paul Speckmann's musical vision? It appears that throughout your career, many facets of Paul Speckmann have been presented to the metal public at large.

Paul Speckmann: Well I see this is a very well researched interview, and do to this fact, I will have to do some serious thinking about these questions, and try to answer them to my utmost ability. First of all, I began my study of the Rock 'n' Roll with the introduction of a band called Black Sabbath, by a High School friend back in the day, as they all say. Marihuana took over my life in the early years. I must say that even today, I still smoke an occasional joint with the many bands I tour with year after year. While walking home from a party in the early eightees, I ran into an old grade school colleage, who was also in the Cub Scouts of America when we were younger with me, and we began to chat about Heavy Metal. Steve Ahlers informed me that he was learning to play the guitar in his part time, while working on and off with his father in the Tool and Die business. We began hanging out again as I learned to play the bass. I had begun just a year or so before our meeting. So we began smoking dope, and playing along with Judas Priest, as well as Sabbath and Rainbow. We had big dreams of becoming superstars someday, as many kids I am sure are doing this very day, as I answer these terrific questions. Warcry went to play many interesting gigs and this really was my introduction to Metal. We managed a demo, called Triligy Of Terror which went to change many musicians lives such as Lee Doriann and the guys in Forbidden obviously. The song Forbidden Evil would be the name of the first Forbidden album. Someone in the band told me this at the Foundations Forum in Hollywood in 1993.

Master drummer Schmidt played one official concert with Warcry, and was ultimately fired by then unofficial leader Marty Fitzgerald. I played my final Warcry concert with Twisted Sister and Queensreich in 1983, as Schmidt and I began to follow a heavier direction. Problems ensued immediately with Schmidt as his insecurities and drug problems always got in the way of the music. I have to say that he was full of killer ideas, and had a great feeling for the music, but he was afraid of his own shadow. We also never seemed to find the proper guitar player for the tunes. Master just never seemed to get off the ground. Schmidt went to record a project called Mayhem with another Chicago guitar legend Louie Svitek. I decided to step out on my own, and put together Deathstrike after re-discovering Chris Mittelbrun in and advertisement in the Illinois Entertainer, a free Music paper still in existence today. Chris originally auditioned for Bill and I a year earlier for the guitar position in Master, but we turned him down for his lack of originality at the time. He was still hooked on Judas Priest, after playing a twin guitar attack with his former bandmate Hawk for many years in another Underground Chicago legend called Transgressor.

Deathstrike was my vision of heaviness. After my father passed away, I had the house I had grown up in for several months, while realtors put the house on the market. Between showing the house and jamming, I wrote the song The Truth. Mittelbrun came over and learned the song immediately. I also wrote Pay to Die. Mittelbrun brought in his own classic called Re-entry and Destruction. We co-wrote Mangled Dehumanization together. I laugh when people say stuff about why did Master re-record, or were these originally Master songs. I have explained this numerous times. Deathstrike recorded first and Schmidt heard the results and begged and pleaded with me to be involved in my life again. He joined on the 4th of July, Independance Day in America 1985.

Schmidt took over again with a vengeance, and of course we recorded the legendary Master demo, which people still mistake for Deathstrike. I really belive that many of the early bands got the Deathstrike first and mistook it for Master as I was involved in both. I spent an inheritance that Donald Speckmann left me and we recorded the killer stuff. We had a falling out over the contract and split up after one show. As for my vision, this record captured the intensity of young angry guys perfectly, it is just unfortunate that I couldn't harness the anger properly, and keep this original incarnation together longer. Today Schmidt still plays with a band called Diamond Rexx in Chicago with his short blond hair and Mittelbrun is Mick Mars in a tribute to Motley Crue. And I will tour with Gorefest from Feb 16 until March 26th. Whose laughing now guys????????

Funeral Bitch came from the ashes of a killer Thrash Metal outfit called Assault. This was Punk mixed with Metal similar to what Naplam Death and Repulsion were doing. The idea for the name came from guitarest Alex Olvera, as he thought the song I wrote was killer. I went along with this and we began recording demos. The band was shot down by critics in Kerrang for example, as being too fast for it's own good, while it critics gave great reviews to these others. I never could figure it out. The fact is that after Master and Deathstrike, the critics were looking for more of the same music from me. Funeral Bitch recorded two demos with me and we split up. I liked the arrangements of this music, because more Punk ideals were prevalent in the music. Alex was an intersting character, while Pete Thompsen was a total drunk, and it just seemed to work. The most famous shows were with Death at the infamous Exit Club in Chicago to 20 people, and later with the Cromags and about 300 people at the Cabaret Metro, still in existence today. The bass was so loud that the Chicago Police came and nearly arrested me. The Double Scoup PA bin with JBL's were a bit too much I guess. This was the perfect bulldozer, and the Cromags loved it.

Like a cheating bitch, I began jamming with original Abomination drummer Aaron Nickeas and ultimately stole him from the band. He claimed the name was his, and we used it. We were like cheating in the sense that we would jam with our respectives groups and then meet with Mike Shaffer at midnight, and jam again as well as Sunday mornings. After a few months of this, we left our old groups and joined forces. Aaron's former members began to jam with my former band members and the moniker Funeral Nation evolved. Abomination was more of a Thrash type project, and this let me put more different styles of music together. I felt freedom in this band, as I was again the principle writer. I mean Shaffer had a few ideas which appeared on the first demo, but these weren't very original. My songs were the ones that caught attention once again. We fired Shaffer and brought in Chioles. Dean had a better sound and better solo's, but in the end drugs would consume him followed by ALS, and I miss him still today. This is a trip down memory lane again. For more detailed discriptions of these stories, readers can check out Speckmann Survivng The Underground due out in the fall of 2006.

In 1989 Abomination was offered a contract with Nuclear Blast after Joe Caper (Righteous Pigs,) sent the red demo to them. Master was also sent a contract at the same time, and I convinced Schmidt and Mittelbrun to reform for this. This was a short-lived adventure, as Mittelbrun and Schmidt, were still the same egotistical and insecure idiots from my past. Nothing had changed except time. Nuclear Blast didn't care for the Speckmann, Schmidt and Towner production in Solid Sound Studios. Label boss Markus Staiger asked if we could record it again with Scott Burns at Morrissound in Florida.We added a new guitarest Jim Martinelli from another Chicago outfit called Burnt Offering This proved to be a silly mistake as the drums sound like a machine until this day. Aaron really played the drums, but he wasted the extra 5000 dollars of his own, as he Scott Burns for the triggering. What a joke. Burns was nothing but a money hungry fool, but at least he told me some great stories about Morbid Angel and a few other Master copycats.

In the end the first Speckmann, Schmidt mix was remastered by Burns, who incidently forgot the solo passages on the song Terrorizer, and also The Speckmann Project was released shortly after due to trying to recoup the money from both recordings. Nuclear Blast was greedy and made a killing from me in the early years. Then they wisely invested their capitol in many Master imitator's who had great success.. The Speckmann Project recordings were a more mature version of the original songs. I liked the Thrashy style of the recording, only the drum sound was total shit. I mean Burns made some really killer sounding records, but at the time I worked with him, money was the only important thing.

Solutions was a project Bryan Brady and I recorded with Alex from Tilburg Holland after our Lost Over Europe Tour with Malevolent Creation as well as newcomers Krabathor from the Czech Republic. Solutions was a Punk orientated project that was very aggressive and cool, only it was never properly distributed, like most of the records since the end with NBR. You would have thought Sony Germany would do a great job. I never have had decent distribution again until this year of 2005, when I signed with Twilight in Germany.

Krabathor Unfortunately dead bombed for Krabathor fans. The Master mixture, just didn't work. So for the second cd, I only wrote lyrics for a few songs and corrected all of Christopher's grammatical errors. The album was well received, but again never properly distributed by the Punk based label System Shock. Let's face it Morbid Records did a good job getting Krabathor's name on the map, but the band never received any money for it. This is why I chose System Shock. I am sorry to say this destroyed Krabathor all over again. And the theme is finished as far as I know. Guitarest Christopher gave up playing and moved to the USA. he is currently a US citizen.

DC: For whatever reason, Master isn't regularly mentioned alongside the likes of Napalm Death, Terrorizer, Repulsion etc. when people talk about the evolution of grindcore and EXTREME, violent, grinding black/death metal. Yet, it is obvious to me that every trick known to bands like Beherit, Nuclear Death, Reéncarnacion, Sarcofago, Blasphemy (and consequently Black Witchery), was first fashioned on the Unreleased 1985 Master album that only recently was issued on From Beyond Productions. That album is TOTAL violence, surely the most outrageously heavy and nasty recording of its time alongside Hellhammer. What, exactly was in the air when ou decided to make that record? Was it a conscious attempt to make the most absolutely brutal, bestial music known to mankind?

Paul: We were young hungry drugged out individuals, listening to Motorhead, Venom and Hellhammer, trying to create our own vision in the same style, or similar mode if you like.

DC: How does it feel to be acknowledged as the forefather of so many offshoots of over-the-top extreme music, as the musical catalyst that inspired so many bands to want to be faster, more brutal, more disgusting?

Paul: It's an honor. Many people have made a ton of money copying the likes of Master and Deathstrike, but can they honestly go to bed and sleep well at night, knowing that their nothing but a copy of the original?????????? At least I know I was a big part of the beginning of this genre. Exploited and GBH ruled my world in those days, as well as the Exploited, Cromags and DRI. I am happy to admit this. Punk Rock was the real shit in those days. I enjoyed those concerts in the early days of the Chicago Metal Scene.

DC: Speaking of Hellhammer, many journalists and fans have drawn parallels between Death Strike's “Fuckin' Death” and the first two Hellhammer demos. While I can see some sort of argument regarding the band's stripped-down, balls-to-the-wall approach to pure, unrestrained death metal, I think the two bands remain vastly different entities with absolutely distinct personalities. To be absolutely honest, that is my honest conception of what death metal should be, bands like Mutilator, Hellhammer, Death Strike, Master's 1985 Album and the S/T, Slaughter, first album Sacrifice, Obscurity, Warhammer from the UK, Goatlord from the US, early Death, etcetera. All those bands were so vile, so irreverent, so raw and energetic, as well as several times more aggressive than any of the death metal that comes out nowadays. What do the words "death metal'' mean to you, and has your view of the term evolved since you first started out with Funeral Bitch, Death Strike and Master? How do you regard the death metal underground nowadays?

Paul: There is no underground today that I am aware of. I am sorry to say that everything I hear today is re-hashed riffs from Master, Death, Vital Remains and other groups. Death Metal was a way of expressing anger over my life in the beginning and others took it to a silly extreme, that I never understood frankly. Really the categories that rule the world today kind of suck too. I started out playing simple Metal, and I still play Metal and that's that.

DC: We've all heard the story of how you and Bill Schmidt, after Schmidt was ejected from War Cry, joined forces to form the immortal Master. Legend has it that In League With Satan was the fuel for this development, Venom having as profound an influence on you as many of the nascent thrash bands of the age. Now, I am aware that your love for Black Sabbath (the name Master was even taken from Master Of Reality, no?), Judas Priest, Angel Witch, Deep Purple still burns strong to this day, but clearly when you made the decision to pursue Master, then Death Strike, your musical interests lay elsewhere. Do you think your affinity for doomy music will ever resurface in another doom/blues-oriented project? I have heard that you were involved in the new War Cry recordings, though I was not really swayed by them (I thought it sounded like a completely different band, too modern for me).

Paul: What new Warcry recordings. I never heard them. The band lost their identity when I left, and became Tommy Gunn and moved to Hollywood. They were to become the next Motley Crue, but unfortunately for them, the whole thing fell apart. The manager became a mover and started a moving company I worked for in Hollywood years later. The poor guy invested a fortune in Tommy Gunn and lost it all.

DC: Speaking of War Cry, it was clear to me that your influence had a profound impact on the band's music and spirit. Obviously, after you left, the band was never the same, and the demos following your departure were very tepid affairs, not anywhere close to the level of “Forbidden Evil” and other such monumental moments. As it stands, War Cry are still remembered by doom fanatics all over the world, though the band never even inked a deal back then. I really hate to say it, but I believe much of the notoriety that spurred War Cry's reformation were largely aroused from the demos that you were involved in. As such, the War Cry reunion doesn't really feel complete to me, because you don't seem to have input into it. Will we see any further involvement on your end (other than guest appearances) to the 2005 War Cry?

Paul: I never heard of a reformation. And as you said it's really quite impossible that this will stand a chance without me. As you can see it fell apart when I left in 1983.

DC: Right from the beginning, you forged a very individualistic, very punk-oriented lyrical focus that was very oriented towards social/anthropocentric concerns, political issues, mixed with some flesh-flaying, carnivorous, horror movie imagery that would, along with Slayer, Possessed and Death, shape the face of “death metal” lyrics as we know them. This political scope really stood out, though, and has been a feature that has remained throughout your career with Master. In many senses, I think that's what has always set Master and Death Strike apart from other death metal bands, in that you have always forged rabid death metal aggression with the urgency, forceful, take-no-prisoners vitriol of punk rock as well as the insightful politically-minded thoughtfulness that goes with all great hardcore. Do you think that is a fair conclusion to make? Do you think all metal should have an inherent message, instead of being simple misdirected aggression based on horror movie themes, devil-worshipping, etcetera?

Paul: Of course without a message, I think it is a waste of time. Of course many of the listeners of the music today are brainless idiots that let the US and other governments all make thier decisions for them. This is quite pathetic. I wish the new generation could think for themselves for a change. If things don't get better Bush and Blair, and the other fanatics that are drunk with power, will detroy this world.

DC: Does Master represent a musical vehicle for the political persona of Paul Speckmann?

Paul: No, I just call it like I see it. Politicians are and always have been ruling the world with their demented ideas. I choose to spread the message of anarchy if you will, because politicians are dangerous to the health of the planet. If changes aren't made we will be detroyed. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer every year. Even the European Union is expanding. In Czech for instance, the goods and services are getting more expensive since joining, yet the people are making less then 300 euro's a month in the city I live in. Is this right, is this equality, I think not!!!!!!!!!!!This is big brother watching over my shoulder.

DC: A lot of people aren't aware of the great pains that you took to make the vision of Master a reality! As legend has it, you left War Cry and it wasn't till '84 that you formed Death Strike, which I've always regarded as Master under a different guise. The political approach was there, what with songs about nuclear war and the like, your trademark vocals began to take shape (in turn influencing everyone from Kam Lee to Barney Greenway!), and, of course, Master songs were shared with this particular project. Of course, what with the botched deal in '86, the canned unreleased album in '85, and the eventual breakup, only to lead up to the Master record finally being issued in '90, do you look back and feel like Master's legacy would be more prominent, more recognized by the mainstream metal media, if things hadn't gone so awry in the mid ‘80s? Certainly, if Master had been given the push and attention that Death, Possessed, Terrorizer, Massacre etc. did when they issued records on relatively large indie labels, I believe the band would have achieved a level of ubiquity in the metal press equal to all those bands.

Paul: Of course as said earlier in the interview that Schmidt's insecurities had a lot to do with the mistakes. It didn't help that Warcry thought the same thing as Bill. Both bands were under the impression that they would receive great sums of money for the work created. When the fact of the matter is when Master signed to Nuclear Blast in 1989 the deal was less than the Combat deal. So both bands let greed and maybe insecurity get in their way. When I finally left Schmidt, my life changed and I began to take better control of things, but in a sense it was a bit too late to get the success we should have gotten. But today I cannot worry about what woulda, coulda, or shoulda happened. I concentrate only on the future. I mean last year we were asked to tour with Obituary as Frank said Master was the first Death Metal album he heard. Next year its Gorefest. We constanly do festivals throughout Europe, and the people still remember, and sing the songs and party hard with me and my maniacal band.

DC: I am aware that you are presently engaged in writing an autobiography of Master and more broadly, of your musical career. Is this a project that is still in the works? Do tell us more about the scope of this project, and what you are meaning to achieve with it. Why do you think this would be of interest to the metal community at large, and what importance does it have for you?

Paul: Yes Speckmann Surviving The Underground will be released in the fall of next year. The book deals with the ups and downs of my life, as well as Metal in general. My tours as well as meeting and hanging out with famous Metallers, as well as Death Metal people, and it deals with the do's and dont's if you will. Maybe the younger generation might learn a few things and avoid the pitfalls of the industry by reading this book as well. It's a trip down memory lane for me as well and I think a lttle bit of Spiritual Healing came to me while writing this.

DC: A word must be spared to the sheer excellence of the Chicago scene that you hailed from. The criminally underrated Slauter Xstroyes, the doom gods Trouble (who remain one of my favorite bands in the history of metal, and one of the most consistently excellent bands in heavy music), thrash deities Zoetrope, death/thrash visionaries Devastation, Paradoxx, Witchslayer, etecetera. Do describe the musical climate of Chicago at the time, how you regard that glorious scene in retrospect, as well as the interrelation between punk and metal.

Paul: The early days were killer, as there was abond in the Metal scene. Many of the bands you mentioned supported each other in the beginning. Even as bands like Trouble and Zoetrope began their rise to fame, the support was still there. I remember for instance a party I visited after Barry Stern had joined Trouble on drums. Lars and James(Metallica) arrived for the party as well. The scene was killer in the day. Trouble came to shows on many occasions to watch Warcry. I was even offered a position in the band Trouble at one point, but I chose to stay with Master. The scene changed after a few years with Macabre and Abomination, as well as Sindrome and a few others. There became a sort of jealousy among bands in this style after Macabre and Abomination got record deals. I don't thing the scene ever was the same with idiots like Shaun Glass and Troy Dixler running around with their money and fantasies. Many of the originators of the Chicago Scene came from hard working Middle Class families as I did. I worked for every piece of equipment I ever owned and some of the younger groups came from rich parent's. So I think this sort of ruined the scene back then. Maybe a lot of petty jealousy, but I have to say those were some of the best times in my young life, and I will never forget them. I speak of this in the book.

DC: Were you attending punk shows as well as metal gigs at the time, leading to your fusion of the two aesthetics with Master?

Paul: Yes Ozzy and Motorhead, Accept and Megadeth, as well as Venom, or Saxon.

DC: Listening to the two incarnations of the original Master compositions on“Unreleased 1985 Album” and “Fuckin' Death”, one can discern a GREAT difference between the two interpretations of staples like “Re-Entry & Destruction” and“Mangled Dehumanization”. Which versions do you feel should be regarded as the definitive interpretations, which do you feel more at ease with?

Paul: Deathstrike was the original interpretation. A power struggle came when Bill returned, and it's felt in the difference in the tunes. It was quite obvious that we didn't need Bill Schmidt and letting him return to the fold was the biggest mistake of my life back then.

DC:What led to the considerable changes in sound, approach and execution that surfaced in the Master recordings, including the differences in your vocal approach?

Paul: The speed of the songs ruined the original aggression, and the mixes as well were argued upon over and over in the studio. Schmidt and I never really agreed on much, and you can see who is still here enjoying life in Europe, and who is in Chicago living in storage facility. If I didn't supply drugs the man was depressed and this is what wasted the talent of my old friend Bill.

DC: Obviously, you have soldiered on since the reformation of Master in 1990 to issue a host of Master albums that have been consistent and highly individualistic, but still slightly neglected by the metal media at large. I'm sure Master turned a lot of heads among death metal neophytes and the younger generation when you toured with Obituary earlier this year. How was the reaction towards Master at said Obituary gigs?

Paul: The reaction was quite a killer one in most places. I had to laugh at some of these kids that came up to me and said, "Who is Master?" I laughed, and said "One of the beginning bands in this scene, check out a cd!" Many people wrote me after the tour saying we were great and it was a pleasure to see the band for the first time. I laughed later on as the Bruchstein Sound Engineer Locke told me that the Catastrophic bassist-Sound engineer for Obituary Joey, purposely fucked with the sound levels and gave us a less then spectacular sound. But, I have to say that this unprofessional shit still goes on and has gone on since my first European tours back in the early ninetees. Every band should be given an equal volume and decent sound as to prove who is the best. Fucking with the sound in kindergarten shit. Thanks Joey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have to say I had a good laugh when Catastrophic went on tour this year and played to 20 or 30 people in Europe along with Incantation, Jungle Rot and Funerus. Apparently Catastrophic is not Obituary. They may sound alike Joey, but there is only one Obituary and one John Tardy.

DC:With Master being such an obvious influence on the music of Xecutioner/Obituary, was Obituary in constant awe of the band, haha?

Paul: I will say that John, Donald, Frank, Trever and Alan were cool hard working Motherfuckers. Bruchstein said that Frank was responsible for getting us on tour after we played Fuck The Commerce the same year right before them. Thanks Frank. I wish OB the best.

DC: Also, what is it that gives Paul Speckmann the perseverance to persist with Master, even while the band has yet to gain the mainstream acceptance and recognition it has so obviously deserved since 1984?

Paul: Who gives a shit about mainstream music. I am still Surviving The Underground, and this is what really matters. If it was about mainstream or the money, Master would have ended years ago. Also the stage is where I live. There is no other feeling that can compete with the stage. When Destruction comes up after a shows and says,"Great old school concert Speckmann," it makes it all worthwhile. Many of my old rivals still give the respect to Master because we never go away. I have a professional outfit hit the stage in Europe every year and we divide and conquer.

DC: I understand that your new album, “Four Years More Terror”, is set to be unleashed to the public (if it hasn't already). Now, I hope you will forgive me when I state that I haven't really been too enthusiastic about Master stuff since On The Seventh Day…, though I like Faith Is In Season the most out of the more recent Master material. With this in mind, how do you think I would react to Four Years More Terror? What is the goal and guiding purpose behind this particular record?

Paul: This makes me laugh, it's like saying only Slayers first three records are good, but everyone buys the latest, as well as Iron Maiden. I cannot understand why the youth of today would turn there back on killer records. The record Four More Years Of Terror is back to the roots of Master and the biggest German magazines Rock Hard and Legacy have given it killer reviews. These people are hard to please. So I think anyone with a mind for real Metal should check out the new cd. As always I put my heart and soul into the record. The critics are saying this is the best record in the history of Master. But I will also say that critics are critics. They constantly rave about bands that are complete shit. I sometimes wonder who pays off these idiots for a good review. The goal is always the same to bring killer music to the world with a message. Get tough and make this world a better place. If we don't try and improve the earth's atmosphere, we won't be hear much longer. People need to learn to get along, and help save the environment we live in. All this silly fighting over oil and money will be the end, so the youth of today need to get together and try and put a stop to the madness.

DC: I have read that your fascination with the bass guitar began at an early age, and that shortly after the disbanding of White Cross, your high school cover band, you began pursuing your aspirations with a 30 dollar Epiphone bass. The rest, as they say, is history, but you are surely one of the most famous bassists/vocalists in the history of extreme metal.

Paul: Oh I would say there are many others as well, but thanks for the complement.

DC: I think your bass is most prominent on that Unreleased 1985 Album, which is a total spew of putrescent, low-end soaked MADNESS! Being a bassist myself, I'd like to know how you approach the instrument and its importance in extreme metal.

Paul: The bass is the most important thing in my life. Even my old lady comes second in the categorie of life. My basses are like girlfriends as well. I practice them very often. But I will say, that I only just started actually cleaning my guitars after years of neglect. I bought a Gibson Blackbird bass a few years ago, and after spending all the cash on this, I decided maybe I would take care of it. In the early days of Deathstrike and Master, I used the same bass strings for years. I now change my strings more regularly.

DC: What led you to gravitate towards the bass guitar (Lemmy, John Entwistle, Geezer and Cliff were my primary inspirations as a child, though I only recently started taking my bass playing more seriously!)?

Paul: Heavy Metal was my inspiration. After hearing Judas Priest and Angel Witch as well as Steve Harris, I decided this is what I wanted to do. Singing wasn't enough for me. Lemmy was also a great inspiration as well Geezer Butler.

DC: Do you think the bass guitar deserves more prominence in modern metal, where the bass player is confined to merely replicating the guitarist's root notes and providing a low-end for the recording, instead of asserting his own musical personality on the music with counterpoints/fills etc.?

Paul: The bass is prevalent on all my records, except for maybe the one you like so much On The Seventh Day. Burns was a homo when it came to bass. We went out to his car after the first mix and he said the bass was too loud. I personally thought it was perfect. In the end there iwas hardly any bass on the record. I agree the songs I wrote were good, but with out the bass, I was quite disappointed when I received the cd in the mail. I vowed never to let it happen again, so check out the new cd Four More Years of Terror and enjoy the killer bass lines I wrote as well as the record itself.

DC: Readers and followers of your career will likely be aware of the fact that you have, for some years now, relocated to the Czech Republic, where you now play with death metal stalwarts/scene veterans Krabathor and Martyr. How would you contrast the Czech Republic's enthusiasm towards metal with the States?

Paul: The USA sucks pal, hope I didn't hurt your feelings. I live in Europe still for a reason. Krabathor and Martyr ended years ago. I never left, because this is the real scene. Festivals rock the European world every year as in hundreds, not the few little silly American so-called Metal Festivals. We're talking from 1000 to 20000 fans at a shows every year throughout these fine lands. The greatest thing is that I get to play many of these Festivals. In the states no-one remembers Master, but hear it is still a household name among real Metallers. The Czech Republic itself has at least 50 Festivals every year in this small country the size of Wisconsin.

DC: I am a huge fan of the Czech metal underground (Master's Hammer, Root, Törr, Crux, Maniac Butcher, Avenger, etcetera), do you see Paul Speckmann as a legitimate part of that rich legacy?

Paul: No I am an American, but I live in Czech. It's funny you mention Root, as the Big Boss From Root has visited Master at practice before. We actually record our work in the same recording studio called Shaark in Bzenec Czech Republic.

DC: What is the degree of your involvement in Krabathor, and do you think that your input in Krabathor marks the next step in the musical evolution of the band?

DC: Before we conclude this interview, I'd like to say, it's very inspirational for me, as a 21 year old fan, to know that you have persevered through all the endemic bullshit and trends that have accompanied death metal from the beginning, that you continue to sculpt music that I might not necessarily enjoy quite as much as your earlier output, but that has always struck me as highly personal expression. You have never compromised, never $old out, never yielded to the industry because of disillusion or disenchantment, and you're still as prolific as ever, fighting to assert your presence in a world diluted with lots of horrible and substandard death/grind nonsense. It gives me hope and optimism, gives me resolve to fight for this music I love, and fuels my determination to keep it alive in the face of everything that threatens to extinguish it. You are a torchbearer for ancient death metal, and while I may not like the new Master stuff as much as the old stuff, I am fucking glad that you still make music, that you still play shows with bands like Obituary, that you still play the old classics at said shows, so that younger folks like me can discover the glory of Master and Death Strike.

I suppose, then, that I'd like to conclude with a question that I've asked scene veterans like King Fowley. A lot of people have suggested that ‘'heavy metal'' is a lifestyle and a philosophy, something that I agree and disagree with. Throughout all these years of soldiering in the underground, what are the fundamental elements of heavy metal that keep you believing in it, fighting for it? What do you think younger metalheads should strive for, and what message does Paul Speckmann have for young bands who are just beginning to make their mark on the metal community?

Paul: Practice Practice Practice and be leary of management, as well as quick record contracts. Take your time with record deals. If you are good, someone will always have a contract for you. I have recorded more then twenty cds throughout my career, so be patiant. There is no hurry to make it. I am still trying and enjoy every minute of this chaos. I believe Metal is a way of life, so if your not in it for the long haul, then get out now.

DC: One last question: I've been trying to find that 2 cd Paul Speckmann compilation that just came out (covering your entire career with all your bands, lots of unreleased stuff, I heard!). Tell us how we can get our hands on that compilation, as well as the new Master record. Also, tell us about any future pursuits you have, and any other last words you'd like to leave with the Diabolical Conquest community. Thank you for this interview, it was a real honor interviewing one of my death metal heroes! Hail Master, now and forever.

Paul: You can find the Masterpieces Collection, or Four More Years of Terror threw me or the label at http://www.master-speckmetal.com/

I would also like to thank you for the time and effort it took to write this interview, and I will say this was one of the best interviews I have had in many years, and it was a pleasure to answer this. If you have anymore questions feel free to ask. Also you will need to send me a contact after this is released so we can add this to the new website as well as a link.

Master (Full Length, 1990, Nuclear Blast Records)

On The Seventh Day God Created... Master (Full Length, 1991, Nuclear Blast Records)

Collection of Souls (Full Length, 1993, Nuclear Blast Records)

Faith Is In The Season (Full Length, 1998, Pavement Music)

Let's Start A War (Full Length, 2002, System Shock)

Unreleased 1985 Album (Full Length, 2003, From Beyond Records) [Diabolical Conquest Review]

The Spirit of the West (Full Length, 2004, System Shock)

Four More Years of Terror (Full Length, 2005, Twilight)

[Official Website]

- Conducted by Nin Chan