Rami: Hey, thanks alot! Yes we are very happy with “Preaching Venom”. The writing process took around 4 years and we worked with different persons on the production and the results are great for us!
Who has produced and mixed “Preaching Venom”?
Rami: “Preaching Venom” was recorded in Dubai except for the drums which were recorded by Dave Haley of Psycroptic in Australia. Dave sent over the drum tracks and we tracked the guitars, bass and vocals all in Dubai. The album was mixed at Hertz Studios in Poland (Vader, Decapitated) and mastered in West West Side Music in New York with Alan Douches.
How would you describe your music to any of our readers who may not have heard of you before?
Rami: Nervecell plays death/thrash metal in the vein of Deicide, Cannibal Corpse, Slayer, Testament and many others. It’s basically a mix of old school death metal and thrash metal, with a very modern sound engaging melodic death metal sometimes and hints of oriental melodies, but with lots of groove!
Do you feel that your sound will evolve in some different direction, in the future, or will you still follow the same path?
Rami: It’s a learning process really. In every release things evolves but does not change. So there can be different techniques in the playing but the music will always stay the same. We have created a sound for Nervecell, like our own signature sound. Our next album will definitely be more brutal and thrashy, that’s all I can say for now ;-)
Who has done the cover artwork to “Preaching Venom”?
Rami: Dennis Sibeijn created our album cover and artwork. He worked with artists such as Aborted, Job For A Cowboy, All Shall Perish and others. What’s unique about his style is that he manipulates the human body with different formations, such as creatures, robots, animals etc. it’s just great!
What tasks presently lie ahead for Nervecell?
Rami: We just signed a record deal with German label Lifeforce Records last August and “Preaching Venom” will be released including our previous EP “Human Chaos” as a bonus in Europe October 26th 2009 so we are preparing for that and really looking forward for it. We just came back from a European tour (August/Sep) in support for “Preaching Venom” and right before that we had a small festival tour, played major festivals such as Wacken Open Air, With Full Force, Rock am Ring, Rock im Park and other killer festivals. Now we’re back home and planning for another tour for Europe and hopefully America next year. We are also working on a new album as we speak.
Let's speculate - you have been granted a free slot on a tour of your own choice - who would be your ideal touring partners?
Rami: Slayer, Cannibal Corpse or Testament!
What albums or bands do you believe have had the greatest impact on the history of metal?
Rami: Wow there’s a lot! In death metal I think Death, Morbid Angel, Deicide, Cannibal Corpse and At The Gates had a huge impact on today’s extreme metal scene.
Looking ahead, where do you want to be five years from now?
Rami: We would like to be on the road touring for a long time, with great bands and playing to more and more fans.
I thank you very much for participating in this interview and sharing this information and your thoughts with us - these last lines are entirely for you. Any final words you would like to round off with - a tip, a recommendation or a thought for the future?
Rami: Thanks for your support! Hopefully we will visit Denmark one day and perform there as we heard great things, and I know it’s a beautiful country! Nervecell will be releasing “Preaching Venom” in European stores October 26th, so do check it out. You can learn more about Nervecell by visiting www.myspace.com/nervecell or www.nervecell.net. Horns up!
Rami Mustafa – Lead guitars / Nervecell
