INTERVIEW: Omegavortex

Omegavortex hail from Germany and play an unrefined, savage and dangerous style of death metal that many but the elite few seem to have forgotten. I spoke to vocalist and guitarist R about this unwieldy band of tyrants…

1. Hails R, please introduce yourself and your band!

This is R. writing. Lead vocalist, lead guitarist and songwriter, main orchestrator of OMEGAVORTEX. The band has only one purpose: total annihilation of all senses, destroying standards and causing worldwide toxic death metal audio terror and disruption against all trends. Original negative violence. Pure DIY underground, no „business“ crap. No booking agency, no „professionalism“. The band takes the torch of obscure bands like Necrovore or Incubus (FL) without stagnation or being a retro circus to making it easier for people to get into, but rather to take it into new (un)earthly and aethereal levels for the purpose of the music and art and not scenes or trends. No over-presence, no self-profilation, no band member person cults or any of the other retarded shit that is hip by nowadays standards. Just a new underground band playing what I call „Paranormal Death Metal“ with common sense like in the early 2000 underground revival times. The music is made by maniacs for maniacs.

2. You started out by circulating some promo / demo works, how were these received in the underground? Were you a very active band in terms of trading?

Yes I did a lot of trading, normal for me as I used to trade tapes and CD-Rs long before the internet was the way it is right now. The band cassette promos always generated interest and activated new contacts and even forged new friendships. All those recordings served their purpose and I’m satisfied with that.

3. 2020 saw you release “Black Abomination Spawn” which is a supreme effort in dark, suffocating and merciless death metal. In as much detail as possible please tell us about the inspirations, the recording, the artwork, the mixing and generally how this record came to be!

Black Abomination Spawn is a collection of older material that in retrospect took way too long to realise. By my own nowadays standards, it is just okay, maybe a bit too tame by now. Don’t get me wrong – I still like it, as it served its purpose and live we still play a couple of songs from that record. I wrote, recorded and mixed everything myself with minor support from a local studio technician. The inspirations are obvious, the artwork has deep hidden meanings which have been expanded over time and put into extremes with our latest, much more superior effort. Let’s not waste too much time with this album since we did it all better already, i.e. our material on the split with Pious Levus or the new record which are all superior.

4. Not long after, in 2022, you released a split with the wicked Texans in Pious Levus, how come you went for an old school split and does it have some significance to you and your relationship with the Americans on the other side of the wax?

To answer this I have to elaborate further about my personal music taste. Personally, I have always leaned more towards bands from the USA, Mexico, Latin/South America, Australia. Scandinavian Black Metal, European Black/Death Metal or any of that never interested me as much as it does other people. Why? Perhaps it’s not raw, bestial or evil enough. I’d like to throw in some random quote here that fits: Somewhere recently heard Paul Ledney describe this style of extreme metal to be more „feminine“ sounding which I very much agree upon.

Pious Levus is the brainchild of veterans who have been heavily involved with the local Texas scene in San Antonio, with lots of connections to the likes of Thornspawn, Indignation, Imprecation – So when Carl contacted me, we started trading stuff and naturally formed a penpal/net kind of friendship. Never before a Split by a German and Texan Black/Death Band has been done before. I don’t remember who came up with the idea of doing a split but it was a great idea, still one of my favourite releases up to now. This is a real 12“ Split, almost full length material.

5. Up until this point you’ve been working mostly with Invictus Productions. How was working with this label? I have interviewed many of their bands and spoken to Darragh on a few occasions and really like what he releases. Of course you’ve now moved onto Third Eye Temple for the new LP, what was the reason for the change?

There were signs that made everyone involved suspicious that the label did zero promotion on both previous releases, also there were distribution gaps that did not make sense to me. It become more obvious back when the band started playing live more frequently, I had many people approaching me personally – complaining they cannot find our stuff in their favourite distros (known ones) or weren’t informed this was happening despite the fact they were into our Promo Cassette or other associated past releases. I then went and approached other Invictus or related bands in person on shows or festivals and found out this was right, there is a major issue here with promotion and distribution. Having had multiple re-presses, the amount of copies vs. this situation simply didn’t add up to me. I quit working with Darragh but we remain on good terms, I know he’s been through some hard shit so all the power to him.

So something better was needed and/or taking things into our own hands. Was already doing a few things here and there with the Polish guys and I always had a sweet spot for that scene. Third Eye Temple know exactly what they are doing, they have this kind of DIY sense and dedication for quality. This is not just a label, Piotr is extremely competent with visuals and other things too, he’s not giving everything to external sources, has ideas, so that helps me a lot. This direct and strategic cooperation between a band and the label is what I also missed in the past. The underground should serve bands and labels are supposed to support this – not the other way around, not be just a big name living off an image. As a side note, I’m no longer impressed by any of this and I specifically turned down offers by bigger labels etc to get rid of all this bullshit which is all Fugazi and non-existent thin air to me, not really serving music and extremity. Working with Piotr throws me back, at least in mind, to times of early 2000 when I started to get into all this without the stupid developments of recent years. No political correctness, just militant extremity and fuck off.

Already now the new album is doing better than both older releases, which is surprising and Vinyl isn’t even out yet. Due to the fact that the label is smaller and more DIY at the core, it might take longer to spread the message, but on long terms, this is a win-win-win situation and no brainer to me – it is easily the most important OMEGAVORTEX release to date. I’m very excited doing the release this way because a) the entire thing feels more grounded, like homecoming and b) it furthermore disconnects the band from the current generic and mediocre modern underground scene, which is something good to me.

6. After hearing the “Paranormal Violence” promo tape last year, I knew the new album was going to be even more unfaltering, unforgiving and uncompromising than the last. Kudos for the idea of a promo tape being used properly. Now “Diabolic Messiah of the New World Order” is upon us. What can you tell those reading this abhorrent scripture about your newest opus? Like in question 3, give us as much detail as possible about all aspects from the music to the art, lyrical themes and production! 

The point was to make something authentic. Promo cassettes with dirty outtakes, rare raw mixes, rehearsal things and oddities are what used to be normal back in the day. I think of this more as a gift to people who are like myself rather than being nostalgic though. Those demo recordings felt great at that time so I just put it out. Together with Ancient Spirit Terror, we specifically used worn and used tapes to remove this remove this release from nowadays’ artificial kind of professionalism which has surfaced in the underground. You know, this bullshit that says every tape most cost 10+ EUR and has to be printed professionally. If people tell me it’s not possible otherwise, then don’t do it, folks. 

There is not much I can say about our new record other than it speaks for itself from the first second. Listen to it yourself and read the lyrics. The record was deliberately destroyed by myself on all levels – I took the songs through a meat-grinder, perverted the riffing furthermore, added chaotic randomness, had technical capabilities thrown out of the window deliberately, did more insane vocals going to limits without going for the normal and accessible. I wanted to have a record that sounds like it was recorded by the house band of a fucking insane asylum with all kinds of psychotic and mental aspects. A record that even I myself cannot listen to all the time because it is very challenging depending on your mood. Complete total shit and offensive as hell.

It challenges everything people know about the band, risks to fuck off followers of this band (zero fucks given) and re-emerges extremity as it is supposed to be by breaching barriers of things that can be said and not (i.e. The lyrics). Testing boundaries and destroying them. Make no mistake: This is audio terror, torture, hypnotic abuse and psychological warfare on the listener, and not designed to gain attraction or to be enjoyed at a party.

Some of the lyrical themes included on this LP will most certainly get you blacklisted (that’s why we chose to keep them out of digital streaming), so I won’t comment any further on that, it is the biggest filth in the world that you can imagine. It as what it is – a real-world nightmare scenario based on history, past, present and future. The title and details on the cover already reveal a lot.

7. Omegavortex has been sort of sporadic with playing live, I understand some lineup changes have been a part of this. But the shows you have played look impressive and are usually with other superb bands. What is an Omegavortex show like for those who have not witnessed one and will playing live become a more regular activity? Furthermore, do you have any cool tales from the shows you have played so far?

What do you want to hear, besides the same old sex, drugs & rock n roll stuff that everyone tries to play on social media? Total chaos and hell every day? In my opinion, the majority of people you meet on the road do not live up to any of this. I’ve got plenty of funny stories but those would be borderline tasteless to most ordinary people so I’ll keep them for myself.

Best live experiences were when people are 100% METAL are onboard, who are experienced and passionate about what they do are handling the instruments – such as the most recent lineup, the most superior one: including F. On drums, and V. On bass, that one rules. Somehow I think that the band just now began to write its own history, everything in the past is meaningless to me. Now with this lineup, I’m very positive and optimistic for the future.

8. Let’s talk about other bands for a moment. You’re clearly steeped in tradition when it comes to these diabolical arts, so which bands truly influence Omegavortex. Also are there any bands in the current underground you value and wish to bathe in the black flames of recognition or do you feel all others are inferior?

I don’t care about the scene, nor about new bands. Occasionally I check out new stuff that friends send me but things are far from interesting to me. Musically almost everything is a rehash of what bands did in the past and aesthetically it is all carbon copied from the underground bands that got bigger in the 2010 times (i.e. All Black Metal bands want to be like on NED, all Death Metal bands want to look like Scandinavia early 90s). Very unimpressive and dull. I’m bored to hell with it – so I focus on better things.

Right now I spend all my money on buying stuff from other genres or old obscure Metal things (i.e. US Metal) that I don’t have yet and I’m very happy and passionate about that, it feels like discovering „Show no Mercy“ for the first time and gives me lot personally. Concerning Germany, I’m laughing my ass off about all the bands here from time to time just for my personal amusement. What a joke.  Slapstick comedy is how the festival lineups all look the same, with the bookers tossing around their own bands, earning some money by doing e-Mail spam and professional dick sucking. All filled with these modern theatre kind of black metal bands. Hoodies, candles, big social media sites but soulless, no Riffs and most certainly no genuine insanity, violence nor METAL. Friends booking friends for friends – it has never worked, certainly has no future and the house of cards will ultimately fall down with all this overbooking and over-saturation once economics get worse and IT WILL GET WORSE, you fools.

As far as my all time faves, and influences, obvious answer, as I guess your readers will most likely be into the same stuff: Possessed, Necrovore, Incubus (FL), Morbid Angel, first Sarcofago, Blasphemy, Beherit, Profanatica etc.

9. Perhaps an abstract question, but one I feel is important. What does heavy metal and especially the underground mean to you? I suspect Omegavortex has a set of values past simply playing evil music. Spit some venomous truths that the world needs to hear.

Music, harsh art and brutality is so much more than just playing guitar riffs and banging heads or someones mom. In my opinion and that should be common sense – this black heavy art shall never become standardised. There is this certain type of attitude that makes you go wild and against everyone, against the grain and against mainstream narratives. It is lacking nowadays. Take a look what Extreme Metal has become. It is a fucking safe space circus with adult men jerking on internet forums and collecting likes on social media being fucking show off hipsters. There are studies showing direct correlations between all these ill fated developments, testosterone decline, decline of classic individual concepts, decline of art, decline of power.

But extreme metal is strength and power. It has to challenge and make ordinary people cry and vomit on all levels – and bands have to live up to it. Everything is tamed down and made accessible and easy, like categorisation and standardisation. I’m really tired of this modern gay shit of promoting every band as the biggest thing, regardless of genre. If that’s the case I’d rather play the „lowest“ thing and most offensive shit that will not end up in anyones playlist because its too harsh. Being labeled a toxic asshole, arrogant, primitive and degenerate, un-cooperative should be a big compliment in nowadays times. There is nothing to lose because everything is mostly tame, fake and a circus anyway. Take a look at any old bootleg video and then look at nowadays shows, especially those in West and Central Europe – Everyone will agree nowadays standards are lowered and it is not the same anymore. Extreme and heavy metal has too become some kind of well accepted commodity, that’s the problem.

The solution is – distance yourselves from all this and do your own thing. Stop going to shows just to socialise. Don’t support bills just because your friends are organising the shows. Stop buying CDs because your friends are releasing them.  Support what you think has quality and future. Support real metal insanity. Delete social media, ignore 99% of all requests and concentrate on music and useful steps with your plans. Burn all bridges to the modern fake aspects of the underground and everything will be fine. Make yourself independent from everything. The truth and real power will shine above everyone. The majority of what I did with OV was done with very hard circumstances, it is easily just 5% of what I could do, knowing this motivates me to go further and further. Everyone of us should re-define the scene by ourselves, and not listen to others’ narratives. There is no right or wrong. You define the way. Be unpleasant, be the opposite of what everyone expects of you.

10. What does the future hold? Are you already writing more material for another short release like a demo, split or EP or even new album? Are you planning more shows? Forewarn us of the maelstrom ahead…

I no longer share any band-related plans whatsoever with the public. 

If you want get a general idea what the future for everyone might hold regardless of OMEGAVORTEX, read the lyrics of the new album. I especially recommend the first and last track.

Thanks for the support.

Old school maniacs can get this interview and more in print here!