We have the honor of opening the gates of the underworld, to let in and to welcome the malevolent legion of darkness called the Inverted Cross coming from Barcelona in Spain. Inverted Cross emerged in 2017 and present a perverse sound where the band's most profane essence can be dissected in the demos and splits that the band presents in their discography, however their debut album entitled "Eternal Flames of Hell" which was recently released by Helldprod Records is where we can come across a voracious attack that demonstrates the blasphemous potential of the symphonies that are presented to us without mercy. Now let's move on to the interview that follows, where we had the honor of speaking with Philip Graves, who will introduce us and reveal a little more about this infamous legion of demons called Inverted Cross.
BLACK THRASH METAL FORGED IN THE FLAMES OF HELL!!!
C.N. - HELL-o possessed brothers from Inverted Cross, welcome to the infernal underworld of Cadaveric Noiseletter. I would like to start this interview by asking you to introduce us to the band Inverted Cross and tell us how it all began.
I.C. - Inverted Cross was founded at the New Year's Eve party from 2016 to 2017 at Hell Awaits Metal Bar. After a few (many) beers, Guille Hungover, who had just moved to Barcelona (his hometown is Valencia), proposed starting a black/thrash band to me and our former drummer Kevin Hellmaniac. Once the hangover passed, we began our first rehearsals, recorded our first demos, played our first concerts, and over the years, Chris Carrest joined on drums and Alis Demonized joined on the other guitar.
C.N. - Would you like to introduce the band members and say what role each one plays within the band?
I.C. - Inverted Cross is composed of me, Philip Graves, on guitar and some vocals, Guille Hungover on lead vocals and bass, Alis Demonized on guitar, and Chris Carrest on drums. Regarding composition, most songs are written by Guille, especially the lyrics and the overall concept of the albums, songs, and the band—he's the boss! Hahaha. I usually handle social media, process merchandise orders, and design posters (I do the dirty work, haha). I also take part in a large portion of the music composition alongside Alis and Chris.
C.N. - "Hell Drinker" is the title of your first demo, where we can hear four tracks imbued with a raw and perverse sound. This demo was released independently in 2018 with a two-color version on cassettes. What else can you tell us about this excellent debut demo?
I.C. - It's the demo that marks the band's beginnings, a great way for us to step into the world of Black/Thrash. We will always remember it fondly.Honestly, I think something that has been lost in the music world, even in the underground scene, is the movement of demos and rough recordings. Nowadays, every band wants big results right from the start, and in a way, so does the audience. The way people consume and listen to music has changed drastically.
C.N. - In 2019, a 6-way split title "Legiones Del Metal" was released by Hell Force Producción in Colombia, where we can find bands such as Evil Force, Hell Poison, Blaspheme Rites, Satanic, Bonfire and Inverted Cross. Tell us a little more about this release?
I.C. - The opportunity came up, and we accepted it since, being a South American label, it allowed us to expand the band's name across that territory. And honestly, we're very happy about it because it's a continent with a strong Extreme Metal culture. Additionally, since this split includes our first demo in its entirety, you could say it's a sort of South American edition of Hell Drinker.
C.N. - At the end of 2020, your second demo was independently released, entitled "With Evil We Ride", where we can hear five blasphemous tracks of pure Black Thrash Metal coming from the infernal catacombs. What would you like to tell us about this demo?
I.C. - 2020 was the year the pandemic hit, and the only activity we could do at the time was recording. Since we had new songs, we decided to record them and release this demo. This work shows a certain leap in compositional quality, and I also took care of the recording and mixing myself. There was so much free time that I wanted to take on the challenge of self-producing our music. As I mentioned before, the charm of demos and rough recordings has been fading away. One of the great things about them was that, as a band released new self-produced material, you could clearly appreciate their musical growth.
C.N. - In 2022, through Friends of Hell Records, another split was released, this time with Tümba, entitled "MMXXII". Your sound in this split presents a more cavernous production while maintaining the blasphemous essence presented in previous releases. Now tell us a little more about this split?
I.C. - This split has three great things: it marks Alis’s debut as the second guitarist, we did it with our friends from Tümba, and it was released by our friend Alberto from that label. The downside is that the production is really bad. We recorded the drums at a rehearsal space owned by an acquaintance who had top-notch equipment, but he did a terrible job. We had to program the kick, snare, and toms using artificial drum samples, only keeping the overheads, an absolute disaster. Still, I think there are some really good songs on it. Invoke the Goat, which appears on Eternal Flames of Hell, was originally recorded for this demo. And The Corpses of Evil, which is a killer track, is one we hope to re-record in the future (spoiler!!!).
C.N. - In 2024, your first album, entitled "Eternal Flames of Hell", was released through Helldprod Records, where we can simply be run over by nine voracious tracks where the impure essence of your merciless sound remains increasingly aggressive. What do you want to tell us about this album and how has it been received by the infernal legions of the Underground?
I.C. - Eternal Flames of Hell is undoubtedly the album where we had to take a major leap in quality as a band. We wanted to achieve the sound of 80s Speed/Thrash Metal but made in the 21st century, definitely as if Sodom, Hellhammer, or Venom had recorded an album in the 80s but with current production. In the end, despite doing an old school style, we believe it’s important to adapt to current times in that sense. Also, the human ear has become accustomed to this kind of production, and we’re no exception. On top of that, it’s been very well received. So yes, we’re satisfied both with the final result and with what we’re achieving.
C.N. - The sound of Inverted Cross fits into the most perverse aspects of Black Thrash Metal, where blasphemies are spewed in your profane lyrics. What message do you intend to convey with your sound?
I.C. - We focus mainly on dark, evil, and malevolent lyrics, it’s what our style demands. As die-hard fans of the genre, we wanted to stay true to it. Honestly, we didn’t overthink it too much, since Black/Thrash fans tend to be purists when it comes to listening to an album from one of our favorite bands, and we expect exactly these kinds of themes. There are also some lyrics with a more personal background, like "Suffer to Live" or "Under an Evil Presence", but always using the themes that the genre requires.
C.N. - What are your main musical influences? Which bands would you like to highlight as references and that inspire you to create the music you make?
I.C. - When we formed the band, we had clear influences like Bathory, Venom, Celtic Frost/Hellhammer, Nifelheim, Deströyer 666, and Desaster. However, over the years, we’ve also been heavily influenced by Mercyful Fate/King Diamond, Kiss, Alice Cooper, and Arthur Brown, especially in incorporating a Shock Rock aspect into our stage presence. As I mentioned before, we wear makeup, dress in extravagant outfits, sometimes carry wooden inverted crosses that we break at the end of each show, and now we’re adding banners of our album cover on the sides of the stage. Let’s just say that the visual aspect is very important to us. For Eternal Flames of Hell, we drew inspiration from the influences mentioned above, but we’ve also, in a way, “jumped on the bandwagon” of aiming for a sound similar to Vulture or Cruel Force. On top of that, I think we’re now also leaning a bit towards the style of German Thrash Metal, in the vein of Sodom, Destruction, or Violent Force.
C.N. - Spain is a country that has always produced bands of the highest quality and where the underground spirit remains alive and very active. I would like to ask you which bands you would recommend and how do you see the underground movement in Spain at the moment?
I.C. - I have to say that in Spain, we are in good shape when it comes to bands, regardless of the genre. In our style, you’ve got Körgull the Exterminator, Omission, Redimoni, Termogaunt, Madsher... Then, in other Extreme Metal genres, there’s Balmog, Oniricous, Intolerance, Apparition, Estertor, Decapitated Christ, Avern, Trollcave... And in Heavy Metal, we have Iron Curtain, Witchtower, Raptore, Savaged, Ward Dogs, Chantrice, Hitten, Löanshark, Crimson Storm, Wicked Leather, Whirlwind, Terminal Violence… Despite the good quality we have in our scene, it suffers from several factors: First, a lack of infrastructure (a lot of concert venues are privatized, there are traps to keep them running, public spaces don’t want to host Metal, etc.). Then, a weak music business when it comes to Rock and Metal (there are no big specialized record labels playing in the same league as Napalm Records or Metal Blade Records). Social habits also play a role, as people here tend to prefer the beach or "terraceo" over going to a concert hall, theater, cinema, or museum. Additionally, our geographical location is a disadvantage, since the best festivals are in central Europe, it's more cost-effective for them to book local bands. And then, if I may say so, despite how tough things are, that doesn’t excuse the fact that bands often lack self-criticism, the drive to improve, or the willingness to take risks with what we offer. And sometimes, which is truly unfortunate, we even lack camaraderie among our fellow musicians. That’s a real shame because most of the mainstream audience tends to value foreign bands more.
C.N. - Inverted Cross is a band that has played a lot live, how would you describe your concerts and what would you say to those who might come to witness your performance on stage?
I.C. - Our concerts are known for delivering a lot of energy to the audience, and we have a mindset very similar to Slayer when it comes to performing not too long, but extremely intense shows, with little to no pauses between songs, seamlessly linking them together. We also pay great attention to stage design and performance, aiming to bring that Shock Rock touch that has heavily influenced our heroes.
C.N. - What are Inverted Cross' plans for the future? Would you like to reveal anything you have in mind about what we can expect?
I.C. - We want to present EFOH in as many places as possible throughout 2025 and 2026. So far, we have Bajonca Rock Fest in Portugal this July, and we'll be playing in Murcia alongside Sadistic Intent, Krypts, Eurynomos, Hellish Crossfire, Jade, Omission, and Netón, what a killer lineup! We're going to have a blast! We're also working on booking a few more dates. Since our personal lives are quite intense, we prefer to play fewer but high-quality shows. After these years of touring, we’ll focus on working on our second LP.
C.N. - We have reached the end of this interview and I would like to thank you for taking the time to respond. Now I would like to leave this space open so that you can say anything that you consider relevant and that was not addressed in this interview and where you can send your thanks or simply tell whoever you want to fuck off...
I.C. - Simply, a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to read this interview, and of course, to Murder Records for putting together such a well-crafted piece. We’ve been able to express ourselves in depth, and just about everything has been said about us. If anyone is interested in bringing us to rock out in their city, festival, black mass, wedding, or divorce, feel free to contact us at turnthecrossupsidedown@gmail.com. PD: at the same time as I have answered the interview, I was listening to the new Vulture’s Vengeance album called “Dust Age”, highly recommended!!
Interview made by Danihell Slaughter.
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