Necroharmonic

If you are familiar with the gutteral decaying blackened pus filled bile of Autopsy, or beastial raw satanism of Incantation, chances are you may have been listening to some of Roy Fox's stuff.

For the better part of 20 years, Mr Fox has been churning out blasphemous soundscapes that range from german cum spillers Gut, to swedish death metal such as Eternal Darkness and Gorement. We sat down over some bong rips and shot some shit.


Dope Attic: You have been putting out death metal for many years, 20 if im correct..what keeps you motivated to keep doing it? Besides the swiss groupies and million dollar royalty checks

Roy Fox : Death Metal is a complex form of attitude and music. It transcends all other music scenes(with hardcore coming pretty close), So Im not sure exactly what motivates me, but I can tell you I am motivated somewhat by spreading good music , from obscure sources , and times , and countries basically just broadcasting my own soundtrack for the current world (now 2010). The Million dollar royalty checks we use are to rent out planes on the weekends and act like big willies in a 1978 Italian crime film..I basically am just a "fan" of music who releases it.

For those who dont know how did you start putting out music for Necroharmonic?

Necroharmonic was spawned when I was spreading cassette demo tapes in 1990 with bands like Goreaphobia,( who couldnt find time to write back all the mail they got , or copy tapes), so I was running a small cassette distro selling to friends at minor mail order one sheets with lists of music, one day a friend of mine (singer Oscar - from Ceremonium) recorded a 7 ep recording , and was like "You should put this out", and I was like ok why not? I LIKE mail, the rest is history.

We tuned into the underground tape trading more, traded away almost every 7" ep vinyl record we made , got other peoples music from worldwide, and eventually turned format to CDs and starting releasing Cds. We started with AUTOPSY after the guys stayed at my small apartment when doing a tour with Incantation at the time.I was a great fan and was a honor(still is)to have released the pinnacle death metal band who basically with out them and DEATH, death metal wouldnt not have exsisted..anyway, the label grew(and grows) and I'm just dedicated to releasing music I love, demos and bands I bang my head to!


Do you think the internet has hurt or helped todays scene?

Internet is awesome! I think it helped the scene and music in general , even though bands get thier music stolen quick as lightning, the idea that their music is being heard by millions instead of the thousands, who got it via mailorder or mom and pop music stores in the 1980s thru 1990's. Think about the reach of the internet compared to these two former outlets. I think it had to help.


You have worked with everyone from Crematory to Incantation, Autopsy to Waking the Cadaver how have things changed in your eyes?

Death metal has morphed into alot of sub genre's including black metal, grindcore , Nu metal and other newbie religions.I think the main thing that has "changed" in music is recordings. Older recorded music was mostly spawned on "reel to reel" and Analog tape and technology, which with its limitations, is still a very pure and unfiltered and unforgiving technology..Music recorded with computers has a filtered technology which can either enhance a bands sound, or create something unusual as far as waves or sounds and not always in a good way.

The bands we release are just according to our music taste, we love old bands from the early 1990-era death metal so yeah your Autopsy, etc comes from that..the Waking the Cadaver is all about music expanding, a new era of death metal still expands.


What was your opinion on the Autopsy performance at MDF 2010?

Love Autopsy as band, have seen them several times and personally they never let me down. The raw sludge of death metal emmited by Autopsy cannot be matched by any band lets be honest here. Autopsy IS death metal !!!


Who were some of the people that influenced you to get on your hustle?

Ok great question. I am influenced by many people and some not so conventional as you think. I remember back in 1980's, I was at some independent music stores, and buying "fanzines" and "demo tapes" which were basically cheaper add ons to stretch your money. I pored over albums covers and T shirts at every music store, looking at amazing artwork kinda like painting masterpieces of stuff like old Iron Maiden records, etc I would say these are my most primordial influences. I wanted to somehow create something similar. Years later I noticed there was record labels who created a music I liked, like Metal Blade, Steamhammer Records and Earache was when I finally noticed record label's were releasing these great products. I was captivated. how can I do this ? I took a high school class in graphic arts and printing press and suddenly it all clicked together, this was possible to make at some point when I have resources (didnt come til well after), so I was into collecting records labels output, which started my hustle into being a business.

In your opinion who would you say is the most overlooked band and why?

Hmm overlooked is a strong word, again I hate to be a one trick Autopsy "ponyboy" , but I think Autopsy and Death were the two modern founders of death metal. Chris Reifert who also was the drummer on the first Death LP and basically made death metal drum beats what they morphed into in todays age. I would say that when you say a band that expands it, Blue Cheer was overlooked as a metal band..*and doom for that matter, they turned their amps out past 10, were fuzzy yet controlled mayhem within the song structures. They are one of the most overlooked bands of all times.

Top 5 demos?

My picks for demos tapes of all time favorites of mine
Necrovore - Demo 1987 ( aka "Divus De Mortuus" )
Funebre (Fin) - Demo II 1990
Abhorrence (Fin) " Vulgar Necrolatry " Demo 1990
Paradise Lost - "Frozen Illusion" Demo 1989
Dr. Shrinker - "Wedding the Grotesque" Demo 1989

Top 5 demos is way hard for me to choose I could easily put 20 more in that top 5 that are the best demos of all time haha

Yeah i was gonna say Top 65 demos.


Anything youd like to say to the dirtbags reading this or anything you would like to plug?

I love to speak with dirtbags. I wanna say something !! I accept donations !! I take paypal. Eat empanadas.Drink Pabts blue ribbon. Accept Devo as lords of electronic cozmics .Watch disgusting movies. Start a homemade meth lab. School yourself in Crowley ethics. Anton Levay played an organ, so can you...no homo

www.necroharmonic.com