Interview conducted via email w/ Mark & Sean Broster

Who all is in Sarpanitum, where are you from, when/how did the band come together and what do you currently have out?

M: The current Sarpanitum line-up consists of Tom Hyde (lead guitars), Sean Broster (drums), our newly appointed bass player, Vic Lochab and I, Mark Broster (lead vocals/guitars).

We recently announce the departure of Sarpanitum’s founding (and longest serving) member, Andy Techakosit, who used to handle bass and lead vocal duties. Andy formed Sarpanitum in 2003 and since the bands conception a few demo’s have been recorded, with varying line-ups, until the full-length debut, “Despoilment of Origin” was released in February 2007.

Since the release of “Despoilment of Origin” the band has undergone a few line-up changes with the departure of Andy Techakosit and Tom Innocentti and the introduction of Vic Lochab and myself.

I know you guys have been playing for a while now but are just really starting to get a lot of recognition and deservedly so. I’d imagine factors like having an up and coming label, renewed interest in death metal and the advent of the Internet/MySpace have opened up a lot of doors especially with all your hard work behind it. Is there anything else you feel has helped get your name and music out there?

M: Other than the usual things, I think there is always going to be a solid community that make the effort to check out the more underground bands and help expose them to the bigger audiences. Like you say, tools like MySpace and general online media such as interviews and reviews are a big factor.

What does your moniker mean and why did you choose it?

M: The name “Sarpanitum” was originally chosen by Andy Techakosit due to his fascination with the deity and the period she existed in. Sarpanitum is the ancient Mesopotamian Goddess of Life – also referred to as Ishtar and Inanna depending on differing historical eras and belief systems.

Also, how is it pronounced?

M: Sar-pan-it-um. For some reason a lot of people seem to pronounce it Sar-pant-ee-um for reasons I can’t fully comprehend.

What is the writing process like in Sarpantium?

M: We are currently writing material for our second album. We don’t have any explicit approach to writing; it’s simply a case of meeting up as a band, each bringing our own ideas to the table, and working together to produce a finished article. We currently have a selection of finished pieces and ideas which we are very excited about.

You have more than individual handling vocals; how do you divvy up parts and who is responsible for lyrics?

M: The structuring and style of the vocals on “Despoilment of Origin” are very diverse, which is something we wish to explore to a fuller extent on our next album. We feel that it brings a lot of variety to the album as well as a lot of character to the individual sections. The lyrics on “Despoilment of Origin” were written by Andy Techakosit and Dan Lowndes, a previous member of Sarpanitum. Lyrics for the second album will be handled solely by myself; a responsibility that I am very much looking forward to.

Speaking of lyrics, Sarpanitum definitely brings to the table a lot of powerful imagery and unique perspective. I’ve can infer from the lyric sheet and what I’ve gleaned from other reviews/interviews is that you immerse yourself in Babylonian texts and Far/Near mysticism and history. What do you seek to accomplish lyrically and do you have any specific inspirations you’d like to note?



M: Apologies for my lack of insight into the subject; I joined the band after the lyrics for “Despoilment of Origin” were written. For an in depth article related to the lyrical concepts and their personal relevance I’d suggest checking out the song-by-song interview on www.sarpanitum.com.

Our aim for the next album is to move away from Babylonian-based mythology. Without going into too much detail, I have chosen a subject of particular personal intrigue, which is extremely rich in its themes of iconic brilliance as well as its barbaric ruthlessness. The subject matter will be extremely suitable for the musical direction of the next album.

Nile, Immolation and Mithras are frequent reference points when describing the sound of Sarpanitum but I’ve also heard Behemoth, Melechesh and Belephegor cited. Who are your influences as a group and individuals and are you flattered/in agreement with the bands listed above or do you view your output as something different?

M: Like any serious band, we strive to create music that can be judged on its own merit and we certainly don’t set out to mimic any other band. It is certainly true that ties can be made between “Despoilment of Origin” and the textures, themes and imagery conjured by the said examples but it certainly isn’t a conscious decision to sound like any other band. We write music that interests us based on our influences, be they musical or anything else that makes us want to pick up an instrument and play it.

I think the nod to Nile come from both musical and lyrical similarities; Mithras not as much but still could definitely be included in such a comparison. Do you ever fear that listeners will think you are just copying those groups?

M: Not particularly. At the end of the day, music is down to the listener’s interpretation. It’s never possible to please everyone and it’s certainly not something we set out to do.

When I listen to “Despoilment of Origin” I definitely hear some black metal touches in structure and delivery. Is that something that has always been a part of Sarpanitum or did it work its way in over time? I’ve heard some of the demo tracks and at least to my ears, it’s not as prominent there.

M: As far as I’m aware, the black metal touches became most prominent with Tom Inocentti’s introduction to the band. I am personally a big fan of certain black metal bands and find that the incorporation of these influences can add a completely new dimension when spliced with the more brutal nature of death metal.

Along the same lines, what do you think about the relationship between death and black metal and other metal subgenres for that matter like thrash, power and hardcore influenced stuff?

M: I personally think it’s a good thing. Each new genre will influence the creation of another which is always going to appeal to someone somewhere. I’m not a massive fan of a lot of metal music and reserve myself to a few bands but the sheer scope of choice hopefully offers something for everyone.

Last but not least on that front, I read somewhere that you guys are into ambient/electronic groups. A little bit of that creeps into Sarpantium’s work but never overdone, it’s subtle and well placed. Any intentions of having more of that in future compositions?

M: If it fits and if it’s necessary then sure. We’re definitely all big fans of music with a lot of texture but we don’t want to go down the road where we’re writing ‘music-by-numbers’, trying to purposefully hit a selection of requirements for each song.

S: Absolutely, we're all for exploring different ideas and ways to keep the music interesting. We will definitely be trying to build on what we have done with Despoilment, there are a few interesting ideas we are working with at the moment, whether any of them end up on the next album remains to be seen.

What it like working with Leon Macey of Mithras on “Despoilment of Origin.” Guy is definitely a genius. What did he bring to the table and how was your relationship in the studio? One thing I noticed was your album definitely doesn’t sound like a Mithras record, which I think a lot of producers from bands try to integrate into the acts they work with.

S: We actually had the album fully recorded before we enlisted the help of Leon. Initially he was going to just master the album but one thing led to another and we ended up re-recording the vocals and some of the guitar leads with him. The relationship between Leon and the band couldn't have been any better really, he knew exactly what we were looking for in terms of the sound that we were trying to create and we believe he delivered the goods.

An aspect I truly appreciate with Sarpanitum is the fact that you actually write songs. I can’t stress this enough with so many death metal bands these days. It seems the majority are only interested in how fast and sick they can make their music and lyrics respectively, instead of actually focusing on textures, melodies and real deal solos (the latter being yet another thing you pull off extremely well.) That’s what I loved so much about 90’s death metal, when all those qualities featured heavily into most of the bands from that era. What do you think?

M: I’m in complete agreement with you regarding the blatant trend of trying to ‘out-do’ the competition with regards to, what I see as, trivial factors such as BPM’s, time-signatures etc. However, there is definitely a market for these types of bands so it’s completely understandable; a lot of people enjoy playing and listening to that type of music. As I mentioned before, we write music that we enjoy listening to so it would be a complete contradiction to put out material that we aren’t satisfied with just to hit a standard set by others.

S: I have to agree, a lot of bands nowadays do seem to rely on the technical ability of the musicians rather than coming together to craft a song. A lot of these bands are impressive on first listen but can become sterile and quite boring rather quickly. Personally I’d much rather listen to an Immolation or Morbid Angel record than any of these "gravity blast" bands.

Galactic Records is a relatively new label; why did you decide to sign them, was their interest from larger labels, and how are things going with the gang over there?

M: We have been very happy with our decision to sign with Galactic Records. They have pushed very hard to get “Despoilment of Origin” out and for that we are very grateful. Sarpanitum signed to Galactic Records in the latter half of 2006 (along with Sepia Dreamer), near the time of the labels conception. We all knew Leon Macey personally and were all aware that he would be extremely capable at running the label with the rest of the GR team.

How is the UK death metal scene these days? Seems like a lot of old favorites such as Bolt Thrower, Benediction and Napalm Death are going strong, while plenty of new blood is on the rise and not just in respect to bands, but also labels, zines, etc. What about your home of Birmingham; do you think you’ve helped to inspire some new DM acts?

S: The UK death metal scene appears to experiencing a revival of sorts. There has actually been a hell of a lot of Texas style slam death bands appearing at the moment. I'm not a fan of the style but it's nice to see the death metal scene starting to pick up again. I would be surprised if we have inspired any new metal bands due to the infrequency of our live performances over the past year or so.

M: There is a lot of variety out there and a lot of bands that just need that interest from the bigger labels to help them break through. There also seems to be healthy competition within the UK with large support for local bands which is always encouraging to see. Birmingham, “the home of metal” some might argue, has groups of dedicated individuals determined to keeping the underground scene alive, such as Reanimator (www.reanimatormetal.co.uk). Hopefully this can put Birmingham back on the map to compete with the likes of London.

I know you recently suffered a major blow by having bassist/vocalist Andy Techkosit depart from the band. Since he already released a formal statement, I don’t think there is a need to rehash his reasons, but I’d be interested in hearing how the search for a replacement goes and how it has affected your ability to tour/record?

M: It was sad to see Andy leave, both on a personal and professional level but Tom, Sean and I are very eager to keep pushing Sarpanitum on. Anyone in a band will know that sorting out a solid line-up is something that can take a lot of time and effort. It’s good to know where we stand and that the three of us all have a common hunger to keep on doing what we love.

With regard to ‘filling’ Andy’s position, we have already drafted a new member into the Sarpanitum ranks. His name is Vic Lochab and he will be playing bass for us indefinitely for the foreseeable future. He is a very talented and musical bass player as well as a good friend so we feel that the decision was an easy one to make. We have mutually decided that it will be best, for all involved, if Vic’s position is, until further notice, that of a live-session member. This allows us to get back onto the road for gigs but won’t put too much pressure on either party.

When are you planning on releasing a follow up to “Despoilment of Origin?”

M: We have no approximation of a date for our second release so I’ll have to say; when we have an album that we are happy to release. So far we have a lot of material that we are working on and have a few songs nearing completion that we are very happy with. For those interested, our website (www.sarpanitum.com) and MySpace (www.myspace.com/sarpanitum) are the places to look for news regarding Sarpanitums upcoming album and any other relevant information.

Any plans to tour outside of Europe, perhaps the States?

M: We are all very excited by the idea of playing beyond the British shores but it’s all down to circumstance. Due to other commitments outside of the band, any touring decisions will be made based on the bands availability and the feasibility of the gigs.

Are Mark and Sean brothers, cousins and how does it affect the band?

S: Mark and I are indeed brothers. He was the logical choice to replace Tom Inocennti because we knew of his abilities and on a personal level we knew he wasn't going to come in with a Hollywood sized ego.

M: Sean’s got a few years on me, but we’ve been jamming together since we were both in our early teens.

What do you think about Kerrang calling you “The New Kings of British Metal Underground?” Nothing to live up to there or anything, haha. 

S: It was extremely flattering but at the end of the day it was just typical British press hyperbole.

M: We have been extremely happy with the feedback and reviews that we have received, both for the debut album “Despoilment of Origin” and from the live setting. I feel that it is extremely important for us, not only to live up to that statement, but hopefully surpass it.

Last words/thanks/endorsements/etc?

M: First and foremost, cheers to Kirby for the interview and an especially big thanks to our fans in the United States.