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Torture Division

Torture Division is a bone crushing death metal band after hearing the band’s new CD on Abyss Records I emailed the band an interview and Jorgen answered my questions that I posed to him:

MC: Tell me how the band formed and how the current line-up came together?

Jörgen; Kentha and Tobbe formed Torture Division after they decided to split up their former band God Among Insect. They asked me to join and we agreed to stay a three piece, tune our guitars to B and not to sign to any label before we at least recorded 3 demos and unleashed them upon the world. Now we are up to 6 demos and a 7" and still not signed, by choice.

MC: How did the recording for the new release go and are you happy with the way it turned out?

Jörgen; Well, the recording is actually three different recordings that we did over a year’s time. That is how we work. We record demos and release them for free through our website www.torturedivision.net. So far we have recorded our stuff in trilogies, 3 demos with 3-4 songs on each tape. That way we can stay constantly updated to our fans instead of releasing an album every second year or so.
We don’t charge people for our music but we encourage people to buy our demo related merchandise and if they feel for it donate a cent or two for future recordings. It has worked so far. When we do record we record everything on separate locations as we are spread out in different cities. It is always a smooth deal and shitloads of fun. Then we pass over everything to Dan Swanö that makes the best out of what
he gets and it always turns out better than we expected. We don’t know how the fuck he do it but he delivers for sure!

MC: How did you end up on Abyss Records?

Jörgen; The question should be the reverse. How did Abyss Rec end up with us? Well, simply because they can. Just like every other label or private person they are allowed to make a cd copy out of our free music and do as they want with it. We are very happy that Abyss Records have understood the deal with it and support us in a remarkable fashion!

MC: Do you have any releases prior to this new one I heard and if so what other releases are out there?

Jörgen: Well, the first three demos we did, With Endless Wrath (2008), We bring upon thee (2008), and Our infernal torture (2008) were all released for free at our website and are still there to download. Together with a Christmas ep called Suffer the Shitmas (2008) they were all released on a CD by Abyss Records as well and it was strangely enough called With endless wrath we bring upon thee our infernal torture.

MC: Describe, in your opinion what you think your music sounds like and why should somebody buy your new cd?

Jörgen; It is very possible that it will be some of the best death metal tunes you have heard so check them out for free at our website and/or support the death metal underground by buying the CD.

MC: With things like I POD'S and stuff do you see the eventual demise of Cd sales?

Jörgen; I sure don’t hope so coz I still buy records that I really like. Or by bands that I like so they can
continue to release albums and go out on tour. But the fact is that for a small band like us that don’t have the time to tour year in and year out to spread our music, releasing it for free and in short periods of time makes us interesting and updated to the fans. We have got very very positive reaction to this not only from the fans but also from promoters, magazines, record labels and distributors that want to support Torture Division. Not to mention all the great people that helps us out with recordings, websites, artwork for barely nothing and in some cases for absolutely nothing, just to support the ideas behind releasing great fucking death metal for free. We can’t thank all these people enough!!! Check out our website who they are and what they do!!

MC: Are fanzines and underground web zines still important to the underground?

Jörgen; I like to believe so yes.

MC: Is there a good metal scene where you are based out of?

Jörgen; Well, I live in Stockholm and yes we have great metal scene still. Unleashed, Grave, Entombed, Watain, Nifelheim, Necrophobic, Tribulation and many many more..

MC: Tell me a litte bit about each band member?

Jörgen: Together we are Torture Division and that is all that matters.

MC: About how much time each week is spent doing band related stuff?

Jörgen; Of course an impossible question to answer. There is something that has to be done every day. Either it is an idea that needs to be discussed over the phone or playing a show or recording new stuff. We dedicate a lot of our time to come up with ideas around the band.

MC: Do you have a manager or does the band do everything themselves?

Jörgen; We have a guy that helps us out with looking out for shows. He is a great helper indeed. Then as I said before we have great people around us that helps us with websites, artwork etc etc. You can find their links on our website.

MC: Do you plan on doing any kind of touring for this release?

Jörgen; No, no plans for a tour so far.

MC: Are you signed to Abyss for more releases or is it a one album type of deal?

Jörgen; We are not signed to Abyss. We are totally free to do as we want and our music is totally free
for anyone to release it if they want. Abyss are doing a great fucking work with spreading Torture Division and we really acknowledge their dedicated work but we choose not to sign to a label. That is one of the cornerstones of Torture Division; we stay unsigned as long as we feel like. It is not that there hasn’t been any interest from labels I might add. Even before we had wrote one single riff we got contacted by labels. Not even one riff was recorded, just a few lines on a website saying that we formed a new band! We thought that it was fucking bullshit and is not how it should work. That is why in many ways there is so much crap albums that get released. Bands don’t take the time to become a band and find their style and get some live experience etc. Many bands get signed, release an album then turn up on stage and look fucking ridiculous. If you can’t deliver your metal on stage then don’t. There is nothing worse than to watch a metal band without any kind of attitude. (amen to that my friend-chris)

MC: Do you think there is way too many bands out nowadays making an already crowded underground that much more worse?

Jörgen; Well, there is too many bands releasing uninteresting albums that is for sure. The underground was flooded with labels and bands releasing pure shit that is why so many lost interest in the scene after awhile. I still think there is way too much crap that gets released. But of course there is still bands that delivers, Immolation for example.

MC: How does a song come together and are lyrics important to the band?

Jörgen; K writes a song based on his riffs and/or by riffs he got from me. Then me and Tobben
come up with arrangement ideas based on our input of drums and vocals, we have a discussion and
swap ideas and finally we agree to how it should be. It is usually not hard work as we pretty much wants
the same thing with our sound. I usually do the lyrics but also with inputs from K and Tobben of course.
The lyrics to me are very important as they will reflect my attitude both in the studio and on stage. Many of them are very personal and I can easily look back at them and know exactly what I was thinking about or what had happened to me around that time. You as a listener will probably don’t reflect on it but it is not that important to me that you do either.

MC: Do you think you’re a good live band?

Jörgen; No, I know we are a great live band. We run you over like a bulldozer on crack! There is no way you can stop the Torture Division.

MC: Does the band have any goals?

Jörgen; As we know we can fulfill whatever dream we have with this band there is no need for goals.
We just continue to go our way and there is no one stopping us from doing so.

MC: Where do you see the band in say 5 years?

Jörgen: Wherever we want to be at that time.

MC: What was the best concert you ever saw?

Jörgen; That is very hard to say but Slayer in Stockholm 1988 on the South Of Heaven tour was great.
Also Slayer at Rock City, Nottingham 2000 was great. Ministry at Hultsfred Festival 1996 was also awesome. Metallica at Solnahallen 1986, Cliff Burton’s last gig was great of course. I really like Slipknot and Rammstein live as well, as both of them puts on remarkable stage shows. Neurosis live is also massive. It is to hard to pick out just one.

MC: Plug any merchandise or websites that you have and what is the easiest way for somebody to get your new CD?

Jörgen; You can get merchandise and cd´s through www.torturedivision.net

MC: I am out of questions. Horns up for the interview and any last words?

Jörgen; Can’t say it enough times I guess, download all our material for free at www.torturedivision.net then if you like it and want the band to be able to continue releasing stuff for free - support us by buying merch, cd´s and come see us live! MegaThanx goes out to Dan and Abyss Records for full support and for making stuff like this interview possible! Support his label, support Death Metal!!