WORMWOOD CHRONICLES: Greetings and hails to NUNSLAUGHTER! “Red Is The Color of Ripping Death” is the first full length the band has done in a while. What made now the time for its release?

DON OF THE DEAD: It took a bit to recover from the loss of Jim Sadist. We needed time to write and craft songs as well as getting to know each other and how we each work. This line up has recorded a few releases but getting a full length studio LP together is a larger project than people think. During the lockdown , we had time away from live shows and other distractions to fine tune the songs and come up with something that is all NUNSLAUGHTER but a much more aggressive recording than anything previous.

WC: This is the first full LP done without the participation of Jim Sadist. It had to be kind of a strange feeling recording without him. Could you feel his spirit in the studio with you?

DOTD: We were all friends with Jim and we knew we were doing it all correctly. Some of the songs on this new album are from old songs that we wrote with Jim but never finished or they never had a good recording made of the music. The new music fit in very well and we just rolled with it. Once we got locked in with writing , the music and lyrics just flowed out.

WC: Wrath has been the drummer since 2016. He has some big shoes to fill. How did he approach the recording and what does he bring to the table that maybe wasn’t there before?

DOTD: Wrath brings youthful exuberance and a more metal approach to the music. He has been listening and performing metal for many years and much of what he brings to the songs is a fresh approach for NUNSLAUGHTER. At first I tried to reel him in but the more we worked with him the more I saw and heard that he has a great sensibility and we just kind of let him go for it. He is much better "off the leash" and our songs are better for it.

WC: You also have a new bassist in Detonate. Tell us more about this fiend.

DOTD: Detonate was a guitar player that Tormentor worked with in several other bands. He is currently playing guitar and singing in BLOODTUSK. After a few practices it was obvious that he was going to work out. As with any new member we give them a bunch of songs to learn. He has the acumen and ability to retain lots and lots of songs. I think currently we know 53 songs to perform so it is no small task. In the end he nailed it and we are a stronger band for it.

WC: Some of the songs on “Red is the Color...” go back quite a ways. What’s the oldest track and what’s the most recent song?

DOTD: I think the oldest one we found is "Banished". That one was kind of written about 10 years ago but it was not finished. Tormentor took the skeleton of the song and fleshed it out. I also finished the lyrics and it came out way better than I expected.I think the newest one is "Annihilate the Kingdom of God". It was written with a different title and lyrics but after reviewing it I knew it could be better. I asked Tormentor for assistance with the lyrics and he penned the entire song. It’s much more violent and sticks out better than the previous incarnation.

WC: Did some of the tracks get re-written or changed extensively or are they all pretty much “pristine”?

DOTD: Nothing received a full overhaul but as you go through the writing process you find things that work better than what you originally had. We write fast and ideas come and go. Some work and some don’t. You just gotta keep trying and writing.

WC: You’ve got a pretty mayhemic animated video for “Below The Cloven Hoof”. Tell us more about the creation of this piece of gory art.

WC: My friend Brain Pattison (RIP) had the artist create a video for his band and as soon as I saw their video I had to contact him. It was a very easy process. We had three potential songs that would make a video and I sent him the tracks along with the lyrics. He choose "Below the Cloven Hoof" because of the visuals the lyrics create. We let him have free reign just telling him we need fire and Satan in the video. He did an excellent job and we are proud of the video.

WC: I’m always struck by the economy of NUNSLAUGHTER’s songwriting. The songs and even the complete albums are really to the point. What’s your philosophy of songwriting?

DOTD: We / I still approach death metal from the origins. We are one of the last first generation Death Metal bands in existence and I feel it's our duty to continue to create OG Death Metal.We have strong riffs with simple song structures. Band like THE RAMONES, MOTORHEAD and THE MISFITS did this for decades and those are some of my favorite bands of all time. Songs should have a hook and be relatable to the listener.

WC: Could you ever see yourselves doing an epic song or even a concept album based on one story?

DOTD: Many years ago Jim and I started on an epic 18min long song. It was to be our “At War with Satan” song. The track was titled "The Challenge". The concept was a mere mortal needed to fight Satan to avenge the murder of his family. After many rewrites and different ideas we hung it up. It was not cohesive and the song went nowhere. Maybe in the future we will give it another try but for now I still like our two to three minute songs.

WC: I don’t think any band with the possible exception of PROFANATICA is so devoted to anti-Christian blasphemy as much as NUNSLAUGHTER. Is it hard coming up with new and creative ways to insult Christ? Do you have sessions where you kick around new blasphemous ideas?

DOTD: Yes and no. There are a few things we can sing about and religion is an easy target. There is always someone to attack or defame or ridicule in religion and NUNSLAUGHTER is committed to exploiting this topic for the entirety of our music.

WC: Did the pandemic have any effect, positive or negative, on how NUNSLAUGHTER did things? I know a lot of bands went through a creative period when they couldn’t play live.

DOTD: That's what we did. We continued to rehearse our old songs for when we would be unleashed on stage again and we took time to write lots of music.We have already started to work on our next full length album.

WC: Speaking of playing live, any plans for touring? I know you are playing the “Blades of Steel” fest which I plan on attending?

DOTD: This year was still shaky with tours but we were able to set up quite a few one of shows around the country.We are looking to do a small tour of the USA next year in 2022. Possibly with our friends in DEMONICAL. We toured Europe a few times with them so now it is time for them to infect our homeland.

WC: Have you guys got other bands or projects you are involved with or is NUNSLAUGHTER the be-all and end-all of your musical career?

DOTD: The other three members are working on the band BLOODTUSK and I am also working on NIGHNACHT.

WC: Looking past “Red is the Color...”, do you have any splits or EP’s coming up?

DOTD: Of course, we would not be NUNSLAUGHTER is it were not for doing splits. We have already recorded songs for split 7" w/ MIGAUSS, Split LP w/ BLOOD, Split 7" w/ MORBOSIDAD, Split 7" w/ NUCTEMERON. We also have a repress of our split 7" w/ UNHOLY GRAVE as a pic 7" and the 4th “Devils Conjuries” (3 cds and 1 dvd).

WC: If you could have dinner with any 3 people from history, who would they be?

DOTD: Christ, Mohammad and Hitler. I would just tell them "Stop".

WC: Is there any “Spinal Tap” moment from the band’s history where things went haywire that you could share with us?

DOTD: We have had problems with our name and in the past we would roll up to the club and the marquee would read: Sunslaughter, N-Slaughter or None Slaughter. Jim and I would get a big laugh out of it.

WC: Any final perversions or blasphemous words to share with fans and fiends?

DOTD: METAL IS DEATH DEATH IS METAL NUNSLAUGHTER IS DEATH METAL

NUNSLAUGHTER