by Jay Snyder
February 28, 2009

You haven't experienced suffering until you've sat down and been ground to a pulp by France's UFO Gestapo and their sundering S/T album on Calculon Records. Nothing in recent memory has sounded so diseased, so barely on the edge of sanity as this nuthouse explosion. Among the Missing is probably the closest, more recent comparison with other attractive names such as Goatsblood, Seven Foot Spleen and Dystopia, resting on the tip of the tongue. 80's crust spews from damaged amps in some dingy basement while a festering cloud of Sabbath n' Cavity mold the malice into something a bit more definable. Still, this is fucking hateful shit where even the grooves latch onto a sedimentary slug crawl, so mean and unforgiving it makes EHG sound like a bag of kittens by relative theory. Due to my obsession with playing their album into the mud from whence it came; I decided to allow the entirety of the Gestapo to imprison my soul and hold me captive for a Hellride Q & A. Break out the sandblaster! It is the only way you'll be getting the grime off your skin after this one.

Hellride Music: All hail, I'd like to welcome the band to Hellride and thanks a ton for answering my questions! Anyone that knows me knows there are a lot of them, so bear with me. I have wanted to do this interview for awhile, so the questions in my head have kind of piled up at this point! UFO Gestapo originates from the planet of France and has a number of alien beings making more noise than I know what to do with. Please beam down from the mothership and let us know who is responsible for each individual noise we are hearing on the album. Tell us a bit about your formation!

UFO Gestapo: Thanks for your interest into our band. We are 3 people involved in the band plus our sound engineer Anders Billion. Johnny UFO is the drummer and makes some voices from far away with a toy on "Landing Above". Sinapati is the real guitar man and he is the psychedelic leading man. KKK (Keb) is the voice and the rhythm guitar. We are playing music together in several past or living bands for 10 years.


Hellride Music: I knew nothing about the band when the disc landed in my mailbox. Podge and his Calculon imprint put it out, so I figured it would be something I liked. After one listen, I was almost shaking. The S/T is one of the heaviest, nastiest pieces of plastic in my collection! You are delivering sludge in an aggressive way that I don't hear as often as I used to. A punk edge is present but the down-tuned slither is amongst the fiercest I've heard in quite sometime. How do you guys do it? I've heard a decent amount of pissed off stuff from France but honestly, nothing as heavy as UFO Gestapo. How do you even come up with this kind of sound?

UFO Gestapo: No idea but we think (and several bands did it already) that it is possible to cross punk intention into down tuned sound... no secret about it. We started to work with this kind of sound in 1998 with a first band called "One Million Gravity". Same people as bass and singer 2002, then we started Partners in Crime. First it was KKK and Johnny UFO, then came Mr. Void to play bass and later came Sinapati. We made several demos and gigs with that band (opening for Blood Duster, Today is the Day, Growing, Thrones, and Esoteric). After Mr. Void left the band, we became UFO Gestapo, 2 or 3 years ago. During 10 years of process, we just tried to have fun and make a kind of egocentric tribute to several bands we are about and tried not to sound like others we shit on and they are legions deserving some shit for dinner.


Hellride Music: Does France have a big scene for this kind of sound, or do things lurk deep underground? I know Shifty Records helped out with an awesome 4-way split of various French luminaries (including Shallnotkill, Moon, etc.); giving their sounds much needed exposure over here in the States. Has UFO Gestapo been able to break the ice on the USA or are most of your followers entirely in your home region? Which part of France is that by the way?

UFO Gestapo: There's no such scene in France, just a few isolated bands who try to exist but the market and the crowd in France is more into old-fashioned French song which we stupidly call Nouvelle Chanson Francaise. From my opinion, a whole bunch of suckers with no creativity at all!! We also have a lot of hip-hop kids and most of the heavy lovers enjoy mainstream metal stuff. Apart from that you'll have bands like us or Monarch from Bayonne and Super Timor also from Marseille for example. Actually, most of the people who are interested in our stuff are from overseas. That is to say we don't really have any followers. But we were very proud to have Calculon Support. We also just put out a vinyl on the German label Streaks. We are living in the deep south of France, by the sea.


Hellride Music: Whenever I think about the S/T album, I don't even know where to begin. You've got sloppy outbreaks of speed, alien artifacts of interplanetary sludge and agonizing, detached from life vocals. Everything has a vibe familiar but completely unknown to me. Basically, I don't hear a lot of band's doing this kind of sound with such ferocity these days. What motivates the song-writing process both musically and mentally? I've never been to France; can the day to day grind bring on the need for such cathartic heaviness?

UFO Gestapo: Maybe living in a city (Marseille) where loud stuff isn't popular and where you are more likely to meet flashy people dressed like porn stars. This, I think, is a huge inspiration for us.


Hellride Music: I can't even imagine the type of gear it takes to wring out such mountainous, pillars of disgust. I picture ancient amplifiers covered in rust, moss and general decay. What rigs does the band use to get a level of volume this threatening?

UFO Gestapo: We use Vox ac30 with Vox 4x12 cabinet, Sunn o))) beta lead with Sunn 4x12 cabinet, and Stage Custom Yamaha Drum.


Hellride Music: Interestingly enough, there's no bass to be found in the band; two guitars but nothing else. Frankly, you don't even need it. Sounds like the guitar strings are covered in sewage, creating the effect of bass. Was it a collective decision to forgo a bass player or did it just work out that way? How low do you tune the guitars in order to achieve a tone of such filthy magnitude?

UFO Gestapo: We began to tune our guitar like that (C#) with One Million Gravity at the end of 1990's. Basically we just wanted more bass in our sound even if we had a bass player.


Hellride Music: Another thing of note is that Johnny's in the red drum sound and even his playing enhances this fucker tenfold. You've got a ton of style in that department. It has that Black Flag charm written all over it. Well Black Flag after downing a keg full of tranquilizers. What kind of kit and influences does it take to grasp that persona? Feels like the drumming is coming from the punk school of hard knocks, am I correct?

Johnny: You're right, Black Flag is an important influence and yes, I used to need some tranquilizers as well! My drum kit is really basic but I don't wanna promote it anyway...so my drum kit is a drum kit! Yes I'm into hard core punk music, influenced by all Black Flag's stuff, all Flipper's stuff, Stooges' Raw Power, The Melvins' Bullhead, Devo's Are we not Men?, Pentagram's Relentless, Saint Vitus' Hallows Victim and Black Sabbath first 6th albums...


Hellride Music: There's no way, I can start talking about the album without mentioning "Mercy's Hole". I'm going to call this song a masterpiece for the miserable. Somewhere deep in this song, there's an element of sadness so piercing I can't shake it from my mind. No matter how hard I try, those riffs and vocals are always there. What were you trying to convey with this song? The riffs seem to speak in the languages of punk, doom and noise-rock. Hell every vocal, drumbeat and groove carries themselves in that way. How did this song come about? It is interesting to note that it is a much shorter composition than anything else on the record. Will we see any shorter, more succinct songs on future releases?

KKK: "Mercy's Hole"... it is an evocation of several things, only 2 of those things remains in my mind by now, one is something everybody may experience, it is a point where you just can't say anything about your state of mind but weird sentences, the other point is my hate for people who pretend to know what is good for others... We actually have 3 new tracks in progress which are of the kind you described.


Hellride Music: If you don't mind, can you elaborate on some of the lyrics from "Mercy's Hole"? A tune with this much power always has me imaging what the lyrics might be, especially when I can barely make out a single syllable of them, haha! The way the vocals progress, it sounds like the end of the world is on the horizon. They flow perfectly with the downtrodden tempos and seismic riffs. Please, tell us what exactly "Mercy's Hole", really is.

KKK: Here are the lyrics... I guess it is not some correct English sentences... anyway, it means something for me...

"Physically I'm another way,
a cross between never ending days,
a kind of silent insanity,
a growing sound over your mercy...
... it's easy to sail under a sea of tolerance,
I'll be there , a shark waiting for you... "


Hellride Music: Vocally, the record is perfect. You can smell the heartache and bad day blues of KKK; giving the album a shitload of personality. KKK, do you write all of the lyrics or does everyone play a part? Don't mess with the delivery or the slight layer of distortion, ya hear? It plays an integral part in fully realizing the UFO sound!

KKK: Yes I write all the lyrics, but it is not writing. I think writing is another job. I'm not a writer... for example, I remember making some lyrics 2 hours before recording at Anders Billion's place... I took a look around and I saw a record, it was the first Shadows of Night LP, and I take care about the sound of words, Shadows of Night was ok for me, so I put it into some lyrics. My job with homeless, drug addicted, psychotic people, is another part of those evocations... so I put some words together and sometimes I discover a meaning...several days later.


Hellride Music: Don't think I'm forsaking the longer songs because they contain enough stopping power to put down a herd of elephants. There's nary a hint of straight up Sabbath on the record but "Fear Weed" delivers the goods in that respect towards the very end. Is everyone in the band fans of the classic doom vibe? Do you feel that type of groove is best reserved for specific instances within your overall framework or is it something you'd like to use more often?

UFO Gestapo: Of course we're kinda fans of classic doom (Sabbath, Vitus, Pentagram, etc.) but we don't create our tracks like, "We should add a little bit of this and little bit of that". We don't really make any plans when we practice. We just go, have some beers, tell a lot of bullshit and play riffs as they come in our little fingers. To be frank, we are more like three lazy assholes... .


Hellride Music: Something has been picking at my brain ever since I first got the album. What in the name of bloody Hell is the sound in the background of "Landing Above"? Nothing I've ever heard on an album has ever sounded so directly like some nightmarish, horror movie soundtrack. What the fuck is that humming? It sounds like something out of 50's oldies such as Earth vs. the Flying Saucers or Plan 9 from Outer Space. Does the Gestapo favor old American horror films or anything of the sort? Because, that sound is almost straight out of those old movies!

UFO Gestapo: You're probably talking about the Farfisa keyboard. Well, since Keb bought it for a couple of peanuts in a flea market we have been using it. It adds some interesting layers during the recordings. We now also have a Microkorg which one can hear in our Vatependr! mini-album on Streaks Records. We obviously favor those old movies, especially Johnny. We didn't mean to add specific horror movie's sounds but we work with what we have, so that's what we got.


Hellride Music: There's a nice production all over the S/T album. The record sounds dirty as sin but doesn't get too muddy. This is exactly how I like music of this particular nature to be produced. If it doesn't have that mud it loses the menace, but if it has too much mud, it loses all of its effect. How did the band draw the line while recording, in order to nail such a perfect sound? Was this a full-studio recording or did you record the thing yourselves? Either way, there is a production job full of character all over this thing and I'd like to know how you managed to achieve that.

Anders: First I want to hear on what I record what the sound really is, and I record the band since the Canicule of 93, when they were called P.I.C. The band came along with nice git amps (Sunn, Sovtek, Vox), but you can clearly listen to the difference of the gits because there is no bass (no need as it's all down-tuned) and the tube versus the transistor. I like to put German microphones in front of the two, as the signal travels through tube pre-amps, always flirting with an intense red. Drum recording is harder for me as Johnny UFO hates comp, noise gate, or other signal effects! I managed to create an agreeable sound putting synth moss all over the "Wasting Machine" reducing reverberation and providing me the easiest way to have the sound I was looking for, using American mic for the occasion. As you can see, the "Wasting Machine" was built by me including a little help from my "musician" friends, and I'm always looking to improve it. The mixing is hard, long and not paid. I don't wanna talk about it, thank you for the interest and the objective opinion about the way things should sound.


Hellride Music: Should I be afraid to see UFO Gestapo, live and in action? The atmosphere that emanates from your music is one of nihilism and hatred. This is a live show I can picture filled with blood, urine and distortion. The kind of show that renders you deaf, until sometime in the middle of the following day. Do French audiences, "get it" or is it kind of lost over there? Once again, I'm trying to find out how the underground operates worldwide and not just in America.

UFO Gestapo: You're right on one point. Our (scarce) shows are the kind of show that makes you deaf until the next day. For the rest, I would say that we used to seek shows and play in our area but the venues are not numerous and our music is definitely not the cup of tea of the audience over here. For example, when High on Fire and Mastodon came here they played in a sandwich shop; Monster Magnet had to cancel their show in Marseille ‘cause they didn't sell enough tickets. We kinda like playing live but here it's always in front of the same 30 people, these are a few of the reasons why we focus on recordings.


Hellride Music: Is the S/T record the only one you have out right now? I was wondering what else I can get my hands on under the UFO Gestapo name. Sadly, one disc of this grime isn't nearly enough for me. I want more, more, more!!! Is there new material in the works or do you have older recordings still available?

UFO Gestapo: As I said earlier we have a mini-LP out on the German label Streaks Records, it is called Vatependr! It's almost sold out at the moment and we are working on new songs... .


Hellride Music: What made Calculon get on board? I mean I can't see any reason why Podge wouldn't. This kind of bludgeoning is right up his alley. Did label plans with Calculon come together pretty quickly or was there some sort of waiting or grace period? I admire his label greatly and wondered what sparked the union of the Gestapo and Calculon.

UFO Gestapo: Well, Keb got in touch with Podge at the time we were still playing in P.I.C. He was interested at that time but we split and reformed as UFO. That's how we put out UFO with Calculon.


Hellride Music: Has anyone jumped on the boat internationally yet or are most of the reviews and praises coming from right down the street? I came to Podge about reviewing his releases and he's been kind enough to keep me abreast of his upcoming plastics on a regular basis. Sadly, I haven't heard any mention of the album around these parts.

UFO Gestapo: Internationally speaking, you're the first insane fucker who took a hear at our release and actually reviewed it. Thanks a lot for that. Your enthusiastic review really gave us a high. Right down the street there are some hashish dealers and prostitutes and I think they don't give a shit about UFO Gestapo, ahaha. We are waiting for a French mag to review it but as I said earlier, France musical landscape is more divided between stinky French songs and electro-dance shit rather than hard rock and sludge core.


Hellride Music: What in the name of hell do reviewers have to say about UFO Gestapo? Here at Hellride we promote the groovy, grimy and just plain weird. Your record was love at first sight in my eyes. Any similar interpretations by reviewers or am I just a poor, misunderstood old soul? Haha.

UFO Gestapo: I guess you are a nut and alone, but thank you anyway!


Hellride Music: Is there a large pop music market in your country? There's plenty to bitch about whenever you want to cover the state of popular music in America. Something new that sucks comes to light on a daily basis. It is even present among a number of those that rise to stardom from the underground metal scene. What's popular out that way, are the airwaves full of Britney Spears, Nickleback and Lamb of God types? Or do more interesting sounds emerge in the limelight?

UFO Gestapo: Well, I already talked about that but when one looks at popular music, there are a lot of shitty releases every where in the world I think. However, I wouldn't say that there's nothing to save in French popular music (I mean French speaking stuff). I personally really enjoy small amounts of Serge Gainsbourg or George Brassens. We also have interesting things in jazz and nu-jazz, but frankly there is no rock stuff that makes me shake like Sabbath or Goatsnake.


Hellride Music: What do you feel is missing in the brutal music of our time? I've grown weary of all the soulless trash floating around out there. Whether anyone gets it or not, this sound has heart. It has meaning. How do you harness feeling in metal so ugly and cavernous? It isn't easy to do, that's for damn certain or there would be a thousand bands as punishing as this one. Please reveal the key to attaining this type of balance.

UFO Gestapo: What is missing in brutal music nowadays is BRUTALITY, but you know, jazz can be very brutal. It's not a matter of how much screaming or distortion you put on your music. Sometimes we manage to play brutal stuff without any effort but some other times we don't have the energy and we sound like shit.


Hellride Music: Doom and all of its offshoots manage to capture the missing pieces. The need for the slow and heavy is omnipresent to achieve impact in sound. It makes no difference whether it's a grind/crust band veering toward turgid, plodding or a no frills gang of Sabbath rockers turning up the groove to 11. Can you explain the need for this sound, even if it wildly mangled in your band's darkest recesses it is still shining through, what puts "the doom" in all of us? It is something you either get or you don't. There is no division for many folks out there and it doesn't matter what type of doom it is you prefer. There is a primal need for it. How does UFO Gestapo indulge each individual band member's primal need for crawling heaviness?

UFO Gestapo: Well, we don't actually think in terms of doom-ness or doomless-ness, nor in terms of Sabbathish doom or crustish doom (excuse my English). Basically, each of us lives with a daily need of music. In my case, I can either wake up with a Coltrane record or an Electric Wizard one, (I mean the good period of EW, not the present duck soup they are serving us) and go to sleep with a Can or a St. Vitus record. That's also why all of us play or used to play with other people to make different music. For example, with Keb we play with a sort of psychedelic-French-kraut rock band called Kulfi; it's almost 100% improvisation and musical obscenity.


Hellride Music: The only thing left to say is thank you for doing this interview. As someone rabidly into your music, it was an honor to have you answer these questions. Please take this final space and talk about anything you want to. Plug your favorite bands of the area; tell someone they can fuck-off, do whatever the hell you want to do!

UFO Gestapo: We would like to say a big FUCK OFF to the Roadburn Fest and all the trendy events which started from the back of the street and are now ruining the whole of it by selling $100 tickets to the snobbish fashionable crowd who go there to show off their brand new t-shirts. We don't want to play for this kind of pussy... and a huge thank you to Jason and the Hellride people for your interest into our stuff. Cheers!