KÖMMAND

When I think about it, KÖMMAND has to be the byproduct of a black hole colliding with a Quasar in deep space billions of years ago. The sound it produced is what you hear on their brilliant record “Stubborn Arsenal” from 2021. Kömmand worships at the altar of metal and proudly rejects anything less than all out carnage and full blackened mayhem. I caught up with Kömmander Z and Drakk to dig deeper into the steel plated mosh beast known as KÖMMAND.

WORMWOOD CHRONICLES: Seriously, what is it about the Pacific Northwest that fosters such strong metal and punk scenes? It's been that way for decades. 

KÖMMANDER Z: Is it so strong? I don’t know. It’s hard to feel it on the ground. Seattle especially is notorious for standing arms-folded and not moving at shows. Creatively it’s a bit better. Being morose and overcast most of the year, you’d go insane if you didn’t find some way to occupy yourself inside your house. The best art is born from isolation and negativity.

DRAKK: There's a lot of great bands and supporters out here, but Washington is still kind of on its own island for being able to make waves out of state. I think this difficulty for WA bands to be noticed has forced them to make greater strides to be more innovative than others and work harder to be heard. I also think it has made the local fan base more diehard and take extra pride in their local bands. At least I know that's how I felt when I was younger. 

WC: Did all of you grow up going to shows, especially indie / underground shows, which might've sowed the seeds for the birth of KÖMMAND? What local bands might've been an influence on all of you?

KZ: I grew up in a town of about 2,500 people, and there were no shows. The nearest metal was a 3-hour drive away. So I listened and secluded instead. My musical vocabulary was not formed with others around. As far as locals that are killing it now though, OXYGEN DESTROYER, GHOSTBLOOD, SÖLICITOR, GREYHAWK, SKELATOR, TOXIC REIGN, VAULDERIE, CHAOTIC INJUSTICE and BLADE give great 80s vibes. DRAWN AND QUARTERED, DRIPPING DECAY, FOUL, FETID, DECAYING CRYPT, and CYSTIC are total Death!

D: Yes. Z can speak more to the birthing of the band, but I felt a ton of local influence and I still do. A lot of local drummers had just as much of an influence on my style as did drummers for more well known bands. There are also local bands that may not totally influence the music style-wise, but how they carry themselves and treat others is also very influential in how to get along and act properly as a musician. In different ways, HARLOT, LEATHERHORN, MELANCHOLIA, THE ACCUSED, DRAWN AND QUARTERED, SKELATOR, XOTH, OXYGEN DESTROYER, and many, many others had an influence on me, there's just too many to list.

WC:  How often do you guys get confused with the L.A. band KOMMAND? Any funny or significant stories you can relate? I imagine this probably happens quite a bit. 

KZ: It comes up often enough to be annoying! The almighty algorithm doesn’t seem to differentiate between an “ö” with an umlaut and one without, so we sometimes get tags and messages. Beyond the name issue, they wouldn’t concern us at all. We were around first and probably will be last too. Look for that umlaut for the thrash!

D: Often. It's more of a hassle than anything.

WC:  Last year KÖMMAND did a Spring tour with DESOLUS, one of my favorite bands I saw at Blades Of Steel Metal Fest back in September, '23. How long have you guys known DESOLUS and how did the tour go? 

KZ:  I met Vivek online, then met in person at MDF 2022. I hit him up about possibly touring together sometime, and as they were already thinking of doing a mini-tour in summer 2023, so it worked out. Those guys are fucking great. So many good times. Sheetz Force Invasion successful! Rock music.

D: Z can speak more to the history of us knowing DESOLUS. The tour was awesome, we had such a great time and it was amazing to share such a fulfilling experience with such incredibly awesome people. Thanks DESOLUS! Sheetz > Wawa

WC: There's been a lot of talk in the last year of how tough it is to stage a tour and hit the road re: post Covid logistics, increased fuel costs, increased ticket costs, etc. How much of this impacted KÖMMAND on the aforementioned Spring tour with DESOLUS? Would it deter you from touring the states anytime soon?

KZ: Fuel costs definitely did their damage. I don’t feel the tour was affected by Covid restrictions at all, though it was difficult there for a few years. The most prohibitive thing about touring is all the logistics of venues, line-ups, transport, etc. It was very stressful leading up to the tour, but once we were on the road, all that went away, luckily enough. Tour was just a blast because of the work that was done beforehand. We’ll tour again when the time is right.

D: It is tough, no doubt about it. However, we all have "real" jobs and know we can't sustain lengthy touring due to "real life" shit (i.e., getting vacation time, tending to family, travel costs, etc.). That's just the way the world works now for most metal bands. That being said, this should serve as extra incentive to come out to a show if we're in your area, because we most likely won't be back for quite some time!

WC: KÖMMAND plays a very fast paced style of thrash / blackened thrash. What bands served as the gateway into influencing your musical direction?

KZ: Going back to the beginning, hearing SLAYER “Reign in Blood” when I was 12 really did it. My jaw hit the floor, and I knew that was the deal. I think the 80s influence of German and Brazilian thrash is apparent, and of course, the torch that was carried by AURA NOIR, INFERNÖ, NOCTURNAL BREED, DESASTER and NIFELHEIM in the 90s. It’s really the perfect concoction. Riffs and atmosphere. Evil fucking thrash forever.

WC: I read in your bio that part of KÖMMAND's intent is to "antagonize safe metal." So, two questions here. To all of you, what do you guys consider safe metal and is metal alive and well or has it become soft and lost its edge?

KZ: Well, by “safe” I don’t mean any political nonsense or what have you. Spare me. I mean color-by-numbers shit, collecting a paycheck. Appealing to a mass-audience. Music that plays it safe. Fuck that. We play what we want to hear, and fuck ‘em if they don’t get it. In Europe, black-thrash may be ascendent, but here in the states, it’s still obscure and esoteric.

I feel like metal is as alive and well as it’s ever been, there’s so many great bands playing stubborn metal. But I’m genuinely uncomfortable by the impulse people have to chase ‘likes’,  ‘followers’, ‘algorithms’ and all that. The impulse to branding is foreign to me. If anything kills it, it will be that.

WC: Digital releases versus vinyl, does it matter one way or the other, or is the goal to get music out to fans however possible?

KZ: It probably doesn’t so much matter to most listeners, but to me, hard copy is always better. If you can’t hold something in your hands, you don’t own it. Hard copy helps the bands a lot more, and there’s something special about the ritual of playing vinyl, or even tape or cd. The art. The lyrics. Even the credits. When you pay money for mp3s, you’re missing something I feel. Subscription streaming is especially bad. Music may be added or taken down at the company’s leisure.

D: Whatever one prefers, I don't really think there should be much limitation on format because they all have their merits. However, Spotify sucks ass because they profit off of artists way more than they deserve.