An interview with Skinned Alive the vocals of Homicidal a Death metal band from Algeria :"The passion for metal music is what basically inspires us. We always have this thing about our music and we know it's our creativity with this genre. "

Hello, who is Skinned Alive ?
Hi, it's me (hahahahaha).Well seriously!! My real name's Hichem Lahmer, am an engineer in geophysics from U.S.T.H.B (Algiers) and am Homicidal's vocalist.

The band's foundation goes back up to the year 2002 when you formed Ruthless, two years later and from Ruthless ashes Homicidal was born including Utila. What can explain this alteration? And what has it brought to the band?
In fact, Ruthless has seen the light on August 2002 unfortunately it didn't work so we got separated two or three weeks later. Let's simply say that we hadn't the same ambition! I couldn't give up after this failure, and Ruthless wasn't totally dead that's why I've kept my pain aside and continued searching for the musicians.
Few months later I met Utila (April 2003), in the meantime I've formed a new line up and we immediately said that he'll join Ruthless. For the first time I met a talented, ambitious and a as fascinated person as me. I wasn't ok with the other members of the band and we couldn't progress, so I left them and closed Ruthless chapter. After this, Utila and I decided to rebuild Homicidal (August 2003). I think that this change imposed itself and Utila's arrival was the turning and after this we started working seriously and serenely. I got to say that without Utila, Homicidal would have never seen the light!

We notice that the band is formed by two members only, why don't you engage a drummer?
Effectively, we're two! We need a drummer, a bassist and a second guitarist. Actually and according to what we're playing now we need them but thanks to Utila who's able to assure the guitar and bass player. You know better than me that it's too difficult to find ambitious and talented musicians. Nevertheless we used to play with a good drummer SS( Sid Ahmed) but for personal reasons he preferred to leave. By the way I send him my greetings .

Why have you chosen such a band name Homicidal, and what does it mean for you?
I was waiting for this question. I had to find a name which's in a perfect symbiosis with our lyrics (purely gore, especially for the first demo) and easy to remember. And Homicidal is an imaginary character that I make live in some of my phrases. Well imaginary is not totally exact because millions of Homicidal exist in the world! It's missed, rejected by the society. And It's what we call commonly a measly.

After listening many time to the demo "Dependant on beauty", I got to say that it's a real good job according to the means you used, could you tell us more about the recording process?
Thank you. Just for the information the demo you listened to is just an other edition of the original released on July 2004. The original one includes nine songs of which a Cannibal Corpse cover song "Hammer smashed face", but the sound was really bad that's why we decided to record 5 songs from the 9. We really worked with humble means for the recording, everything was done on computer, drums programming, guitars' and voices' recording and mix, mastering and arrangements, we thank the scientific progress and that's what is done in recording studios except the basis means. The lack of chance to record in such studios obliged us to create our simple mini studio. I got to say that we should never give up and ambition has a very important role. When we want to do something we can.

How was your demo welcomed by the underground ( fans, fanzines, radios, webzines…)? Have you received any offers from record companies?
Well till today (27/10/2004), we've been contacted by a French radio (Radio Mercure) "les decibels sont dans les prés" and recently by a Moroccan webzine. It's just the beginning. We keep the faith for concrete others.

There's an old school death side existing everywhere in your composition soul, what are your major musical influences and what Homicidal style?
I think it's exaggerating, the old school death exists but not everywhere in our composition soul. You should certainly notice the brutal death side too. Our major influences in brutal death US (from Chicago scene even New York) and the Swedish too. Personally, I love brutal such as Dying Fetus, suffocation (especially the first albums), Gutted (a Canadian band not well known here in Algeria)…I like Cannibal Corpse too in Chris Barnes period or what has done Chris Barnes with Cannibal Corpse, even what he's doing with Six Feet Under.
For homicidal, we're a death metal band with brutal leaning trying to explore those aspects. The future demo can be brutal or maybe technical.

Just a little remark, there's a lack of originality in your music, don't you think about innovating? I know that you're not going to create the wheel once again, but a local touch is welcome don't you think?
Once again I am not okay with you, because every band has got its originality and bring its personal touch. The originality in our music is our songs structures which is different from the classical ones. But I got to confess that we're not the kind of people pretending that we want to or even can innovate by introducing local influences or mixing another kind of music with death metal, I've heard that there are people who want to create their own style, you should know that it's not easy, and sometimes we want to do too much things so it go to a bad mixture!

What do you speak about in your lyrics?
As I said earlier, I speak about Homicidal the measly man of the society suffering from a strong sexual dependence who becomes a serial killer with no regrets for his victims. Even if he sometimes lives incredible lucid moments and feels guilty and impotent in his tragedy but he's not able to fight his own strength and that makes him search for new preys so fresh victims. I try to talk with the consciousness through him and sometimes extracting impulses even escaping fantasizes that take a horrifying and a pure gore turn. This demo's texts are mainly from "A travers les yeux du tueur" which am writing in French.

What does the underground means to you?
That a good question. First, I got to say that it's simply the metal basis and that it's the total refusal of all conformity between music in general, metal particularly and the material world. I think that without the underground, commercial stuffs would have won and metal wouldn't exist especially death metal.

What do you think about the Algerian scene? And what are the most important elements prospering it?
You should know that metal is a marginalized music in Algeria so that it's an underground music. I think that the scene isn't interesting, I can even say that it doesn't even exist. There are no bands and there are different causes but the most important one is that we aren't artistically mature enough and we haven't acquired the right metal culture. Nevertheless, we got to insist and try to move and promote this scene. Your site is a perfect example, I noticed that we're just three Algerian bands: Litham, Entropy and Homicidal, unfortunately those 3 bands are not able to create this metal scene all alone.
We got to know that it's time to move. How? Well, first this area must be cleaned from some parasites that have no idea neither with metal nor music in general, and mentalities have to change too, either the metal scene would never grow. But am not here to teach but just expressing my opinions.

Have you got an idea about the Arabic metal scene? What do you think about it, and what are the bands needing a particular help?
I had no idea before but now thanks to your site I know that a death metal band exists in Saudi Arabia: Deathless, I didn't listen to their music but am sure it's original. The only band I listened to is the Lebanese: Kaoteon and I liked much their work.

When would we have a homicidal scenic benefit?
As soon as possible.

Could you speak about Skinned Alive music?
For the meantime "Skinned Alive music" is Homicidal.

We know that Utila is a polyvalent guitarist and is a member in different bands of different styles such as: Taddart, Tenebrum and Nihil, have you got projects?
Yes true, Utila has got many projects such as Homicidal, but his main project is Nihil (black metal) and he collaborates with Taddart and Tenebrum , by the way I say hi to my friend Amon who signed "Avenge of the refusal" in our demo.
For me I work on homicidal but I'd like to do something else in the same way as brutal as Homicidal, and a grind core one is going to see the light in few weeks or months.

Is there any project, demo, album or a label?
There's a new demo "Justify the desolation", I can say it's ready for 90%, our website will be operational in few days too. And may be a scene or a studio album!

What do you think about internet and mp3 for Homicidal an unknown band and without label, this must be a great promoting mean, don't you think?
I think it's a damned good work tool we have because internet is the most important communication mean especially in music I think it's the best promoting way for underground bands like Homicidal and it's gratuitous. But it's a two edged arm, because the loading is wrecking the greatest labels but it's their fault too. A simple solution exists, music must be handy I think everybody will be satisfied.

Thank you for the interview, the famous last word?
Thank you too, I sincerely think you do a good and very interesting work which must be congratulated, long life for it. I hope that we'll be able to speak about a real Algerian metal scene. As an end word: JUST STAY BUTAL \m/.

Interview by Lelahel English translation by Fallen Angel

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