MORBID SAINT

MORBID SAINT are one of the ultimate never say die bands. They can trace their origin all the way back to 1984 and their home town of Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Few were the bands heavier and faster than they were in this period...it can be said that they were one of the very first death metal bands. But being from the Midwest, it was extremely difficult to get any material out. Their first album “Spectrum of Death” had a very tortured path to a full time American release, but in 1989, it finally saw the light of day and has become an unquestioned classic of underground extreme metal.

The ensuing years were not much kinder, as their second effort “Destruction System” was shot out of the water before a proper release. Following much frustration and the collapse of the metal market in 1994, the SAINT decided to call it a day.

Only the call of the MORBID was hard to resist and memories of the band remained fresh. They reformed in 2010 with a changed lineup and started doggedly plugging away, releasing live album “Beyond The States of Hell” in 2014. From there, many festival appearances followed but releasing new material remained an almost insoluble labor. In 2022, things finally started paying off for the long suffering band as their long-absent lead singer Pat Lind returned to the fold. Lind’s addition got the ball rolling and the result is new album “Swallowed By Hell” recently released on Germany’s High Roller Records.

After 40 years, the band is actually faster and angrier than ever. “Swallowed By Hell” is a neck-snapping excursion of ferocious energy with no discernible let-up. It’s the ultimate proof that getting old doesn’t have to mean mellowing out!

WORMWOOD CHRONICLES: Let’s jump in the “Wayback Machine” and talk about the band’s early connection to the legendary band, DEATH. MORBID SAINTwas a regular opener for the band. Regular opener as in whenever DEATH came to Milwaukee or on tour?

JIM FERGADES: We only played with DEATH a couple times when they played in Milwaukee. We never toured with them.

WC: How did this relationship get established? That’s quite a friendship to forge. Any cool MORBID SAINT  & DEATH stories you can tell?

JF: Our manager at the time Eric Greif was also DEATH’s manager so that was the reason we were on the shows with DEATH. When we played with DEATHat Milwaukee Metal Fest 3 they were using our equipment for the back line. Chuck ran through my amp and when he came up, he brought a Boss distortion pedal with him. He didn’t need it with the Boogie amp I was running at the time and when their set was done he forgot about it and left it there. I ended up taking the pedal home with me but gave it back to Eric at a later date to return to Chuck. The other show in Milwaukee that we played with DEATH. I Was able to sit backstage with Chuck while he was warming up and tuning his guitar. He was a really nice down to earth guy.

WC: Let’s stay in the “Wayback Machine” for another quick second. The band releases ‘Spectrum Of Death’ in 1989 and then splits up in 1994-ish? Why the split and what prompted the reunion in 2010?

JF: When the band split around 94, it was mainly because we were getting older and some of us had families and other things that were more important to take care of than the band which wasn’t doing much at the time. Jay Visser reformed the band around 2010 with other musicians and kept the band going. I think it was all the attention that “Spectrum of Death” was gaining online that showed Jay there was still interest in the band.

WC: So, what’s happening with core band members between the split in ’94 and the reunion in 2010? Is everyone still playing in music / in bands, working full time, raising families, etc.? And what circumstances changed to prompt the reunion?

JF: Like I said earlier when Jay reformed the band around 2010, I believe he and Pat were the only original members at that time. I had my own business to run so I was unable to join them at that time. The rest of us were pretty much just working and raising families like you said. Pat parted ways with the band I believe sometime around 2015 and Jay kept the band going with a new singer. It wasn’t until 2021 when that version of the band parted ways and Jay contacted Pat and myself to see if we wanted to play again. The timing was right and we both agreed to join Jay along with his former bass player and drummer. That’s Bob Zabel on bass and DJ Bagemehl on drums.   

WC: From 2010 to 2015 there’s a five year gap and then “Destruction System” gets released. Is this the same record that was slated for release in ’92 but never was? It was a fan exclusive, correct? 

JF: Yes, it is the same recording. I believe that release was very limited.

WC: Continuing with “Destruction System”, the album released in 2015 – was it a mix of new and old songs then?

JF: The 2015 release was all the original songs recorded in the early 90s. 

WC: Whatever happened with the DVD included with your compilation record ‘Thrashaholic’? Any plans to re-release that or maybe release a new DVD?

JF: We did that release on our own and we thought it would be cool to release it with a live DVD. There is definitely a possibility of more DVDS or videos being released of old MORBID SAINT. We have quite a few of our shows from back in the day on video.

WC: Since 2010 the band has performed in Mexico City, Germany, and interestingly enough in Beijing. Tell me what that experience was like doing a gig in Beijing – were any restrictions placed on the band in terms of what you could or could not sing or say on stage, anything like that?

JF: Unfortunately, I was not in the band at that time but I have heard from the other guys that it was a really cool experience.  They never mentioned anything about any restrictions.

WC: Your new album ‘Swallowed By Hell’ is due out February 9 via High Roller Records. Who contacted who to release the new album and is it a one album deal?

JF: High Roller records was licensed by Century Media when we were with them to sell “Spectrum of Death” and “Destruction System”. When we ended the deal with Century Media around 2021, High Roller Records contacted us about continuing to license those albums from us. We mentioned to them that we were going to record another album if they were interested in working with us and they accepted. We signed a distribution only deal with High Roller Records for “Swallowed”. So it’s not like a normal record contract for a certain number of albums. If we decide to record more material, we will continue to work with High Roller Records as long as they want to work with us.

WC: Do you prefer releasing records and selling merch independently (cutting out the middle man) or do record labels still serve a purpose in today’s truly DIY digital age?

JF: Prefer to do as much as we can ourselves. I Definitely think working with a record company gives artists more opportunities and exposure. But I think it’s very possible to do quite a bit on your own. 

WC: I’ve heard “Swallowed By Hell” and it’s truly on the same level of brutality and aggression I used to hear with SLAYER. Same thing having seen you live as well. I really believe, and I said this in my review of your record, MORBID SAINT is the true heir apparent of SLAYER. Don’t be shy about your answer, how do you view what you create musically?

JF: We really appreciate that. We don’t intentionally try to sound or play a certain way, it’s just the way things come out, I guess. We grew up in a time when there were a ton of great thrash bands that definitely had an influence on what we did musically. For me, SLAYER has always been in a class of their own. To even be compared to them is truly an honor. I think the music we create has a certain level of brutality and aggression But that’s really the only way we know how to play.

WC: When did the writing and recording process initially take place for “Swallowed By Hell”? Did it take a few months to do or was it carried out song by song over a longer period of time?

JF: We started writing the songs in 2021. It took about a year and a half to complete all 10 songs. All the songs were recorded, mixed and mastered over about a nine month period.

WC: In terms of writing songs, is it a group effort or just one person behind the insanity of MORBID SAINT’s songwriting? And where does the creative inspiration come from when it comes to lyrics?

JF: All of the lyrics were a collaboration between myself and Pat. The rest of us would share parts over Whatsapp, I would then take what we had and record a sample arrangement of the song for everyone to listen to. We would then make the necessary changes until we were all happy with the final song.

WC: Is the band always in a writing, riff, and recording mode? Do you record your rehearsals?

JF: I think each one of us always writes and records stuff in their own time. Now that the album is done, we are pretty much in show mode all the time. We have our practice area set up with multiple cameras so that we can live stream practices on our socials every once in a while. We do record them just to hear how things are sounding. 

WC: What does 2024 hold for the band? What shows or festivals do you have booked, the floor is yours to talk about whatever you’d like to. 

JF: We have a few shows booked for 2024 but we are hoping to get offers to do more festivals. At the end of March we play in Houston TX at Hells Heroes Festival.

In late September we are playing in Brooklyn NY at Rage of Armageddon Festival.

In late October we are playing the Thrash Nightmare Festival in Czech Republic and we have a show that’s closer to home in Chicago sometime in June I believe. We really appreciate the request for the interview and the kind words for the new album. We hope the fans of our older music enjoy the new album and hope to gain some new fans that may have not discovered the older stuff yet. Thanks again, Stay Morbid!!!! 

WC: Thank you so much for your time on this, I really appreciate it 

MORBID SAINT