Flush from their blinding set at the Xtreme Metal Assault festival held two weeks ago, local death metal four-piece Repugnance are on a roll. Recently signed with a label, playing overseas jaunts and garnering fans further than they’ve ever travelled, these are exciting times for the band, so I caught up with guitarist George Gauci to talk of all things brutal and death metal.

We start at the beginning. Repugnance was born when three of the members, then playing with an outfit called Putrefied Disfigurement, found themselves without a drummer. There is a certain difficulty in finding a drummer to play this technical style of heavy music, however, the band struck gold a few months later when Konrad Saliba found himself band-less and was recruited. A few rehearsal sessions later, Repugnance was born.

The line-up is four: Gauci, Saliba, Ayrton Muscat and Roderick Mifsud on vocal duty. I ask about the number. Is four too few or just right for a band in this style? Gauci acknowledges that, compared to other bands, tradition dictates a two-guitar setup.

However, the band is not keen to bring someone on for fear of them leaving a few months later and disturbing the band’s current momentum. “For the time being, all things considered, I’d say it’s just the right number,” concludes Gauci.

And momentum they do have. Upon releasing their debut EP Seeds of Oppression in February 2012, the band headed straight to the UK to play shows in Liverpool and Edinburgh, this just months after inking a deal with Anopsys Records. Having contacted the band in October 2013, an agreement was found and Gauci speaks highly of the label.

“The continuous support we got from them was something which we couldn’t ignore. At a certain point you realise that you’d rather be completely supported by a small label than be just a number in a big one.”

Thus far, Anopsys has not tied the band down with contractual obligations, so the band can see themselves releasing a full-length album under their banner.

I ask about the central tenet, the music of course. Repugnance songs are often written from a jam or a homebrewed riff one of the members would have been working on.

They come together section by section, although Gauci freely admits that the songs are written with a twist to be of special effect during a live show. Of course, some tracks end up inverted and inside out before becoming a finished product, but that’s part of the process.

Repugnance’s EP was recorded at the band’s own practice space in Marsa by Clayton Cini of XIR Mobile Recording Studio and then mixed and mastered by Rob Hobson of Silent City Recording Studio in Leeds. Gauci speaks highly of the efforts of both, recognising that their stirling work contributed no end to how well the EP fared.

In the first week of the EP’s release, we got orders from Canada, the US, France, Italy and the UK

The discussion turns to overseas fans, of which Repugnance have a few, and from very disparate locations indeed, from the Americas to South East Asia. Death metal has always been an international scene of rabid fans. However, how does a Maltese death metal act get heard as far as Indonesia, with fans posing in their T-shirts and showing off their copies of the band’s disc? How does it feel to know your music has such a far reach?

Gauci himself can’t really tell me how it came about, just that it feels great and that the band is grateful for the support.

“As to the attention, it reminded me a little of a dam breaking. The flow was a stream of orders at first; friends, family, acquaintances in the scene. Then, in the first week of the EP’s release, we got orders from Canada, the US, France, Italy and the UK. The week after that, Germany, Poland, Belgium and Japan. Somehow, the sales just kept coming and then after we agreed to a small licensing deal for shirts in Indonesia. We recorded sales there, in Taiwan and now even Singapore.

“The feeling is unexplainable – we weren’t expecting it. The people who do buy CDs today have to be selective as it is financially impossible to own everything, even in an underground genre such as death metal. Many listeners don’t buy altogether or, at most, pay a small amount for a digital download. The fact that so many people took an interest and bought our CD from all the options available to them... that means a lot. It gives you motivation to continue pushing forward.”

The death metal scene is no stranger to bands that have indeed forged forwards with wilful force. Two of these bands are local examples; Beheaded and Abysmal Torment, both of which have influenced the members of Repugnance and helped shape their musical sensibilities.

I ask Gauci about their relationship with such acts, given that they now share stages locally on a regular basis. “Both bands give us honest advice, support and assistance from time to time,” comes the reply. “They have both had their fair share of international success. In fact, both have taken part in and sometimes even headlined top festivals in Europe. I would consider that as something to look up to and something to learn from.”

And in the end, what lies ahead for Repugnance? Will they, too, forge ahead with a view to dominating the death metal scene in their own way? Fans can rejoice, the plan is to launch a full length album soon and not stop there.

“Hopefully, we will have a couple of full lengths added to our belt and, played in a few more decent festivals and visited a few more countries.”

Of course, the band members know to limit their expectations, and so their aim is to write as much material as possible and secure gigging possibilities overseas. This is a passion after all and, as Gauci closed off: “This isn’t about making money, it’s about gaining a life experience for as long as you can.”

www.facebook.com/Repugnancemt

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