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BERRY | 2007-01-25 >>>
TÖRR "Unsold
vinyls were scrapped!"
a n i n t e r v i e w w i t h V l a s t
a H e n y c h
 The
LP version of Törr last album was released at the end of the last year.
Again (as the previous LP "Made in Hell"), it was released by Monster
Nation Records. Thanks to these two albums Törr came back to black
metal. That is why we decided to invite Vlasta Henych and to talk
about Törr. Initially I wished to talk only about the presence, but we
have mentioned all the albums and to my big surprise, I came to know
that one of them, which I thought that existed only on CD, was
released also on LP...
Your latest album "Törritorium" was just released on LP. What are your
feelings? Does this mean something more than CDs?
Well, sure I am satisfied it is out on vinyl, we can thus offer
something more to our fans. But for musician the most important is
always the basic medium, which is CD today. All the other formats are
just an addition.
As a musician you are a pragmatis, no wonder. But I will ask somehow
else. When labels stopped releasing vinyls in early 90s, what
impression did you have? Your last album appeared also on vinyl was
"Chcípni o kus dál", all the other stuff was out only on CDs…?
 After
"Chcípni o kus dál" was released on vinyl also our "Kladivo na
čarodějnice", then a project "Zemětřesení", in which I played bass. Of
course, my generation grew up with vinyls. When I started to listen to
music in the 70s, we had only record and tape (not cassette) players.
Cassette players came here at the end of 70s. Although I already do
not have a record player at home, my relation to vinyls is very
positive... Maybe I will buy some record player. I like vinyls and I
regret that this format disappeared from common commercial using. You
know, I won´t repeat all the talks about better sound on vinyls, warm
sound or about the ritual of putting the stylus on records. Howevever
what I want to stress is the artistic value of cover graphics. Vinyls
covers allows much better result of… very often artistic intent. As it
is me, who creates the covers for all Törr albums, I know what I am
saying. There is nothing better than to bugger about with records, to
hold a vinyl in ones hands… you hold really SOMETHING, not just a can
with some music. Only those who feel the some can understand… Today we
can see the death of cassette tapes and VHS tapes. And this is no
shame, they were digitally replaced and that increased the quality of
the recordings. Concerning the vinyls it´s really big shame...
 Hey,
wait, wait, "Kladivo na čarodějnice" was released on LP?! Where, by
which label, how does it look? Ughrrr, what a shocking information…
It was released by Monitor EMI in 1993, at the same time as CD and
MC. But vinyls were out of fashion those days, so I think there were
not many copies sold… But some copies were sold… Myself I do have one
copy. So except of "Morituri te Salutant", "Live" and "Tanec Svatého
Víta" are all our albums also on LPs.
I think it must be released in a very limited edition, I have never
heard about this LP, nor my friends… Nobody have it… OK, I would like
to ask you to comment briefly each of your albums... Let´s begin with
your „zero“ LP "Kladivo na čarodějnice" (it contains pre-debut stuff,
re-recorded and released in 1993), which for me just began its
existence… Don´t you regret that it was recorded and released only
retroactively? Do you perceive it as your normal album or is it rather
best of your demos?
While recording our debut, Ota Hereš was in the army… That is why
we first made "Armageddon". After he came back, Ota already did not
play with Törr. So the old stuff was recorded as late as in 1993... I
was looking for new Törr musicians that time, so this stuff somehow
filled the gap in Törr activity. Maybe it had to be like that. Yes,
the album should have been recorded as the first one, but the
circumstances were against us. We percieve it as our regular album,
with the difference that fans had to wait bit longer...
I still cannot recover my wits… "Kladivo…" on vinyl!!! Have there been
any insert or lyric sleeve? Did the cover looked the same as CD? I
think our readers are also asking these questions…
The cover was exactly the same as on CD (no gatefold), with one-page
insert with lyrics and photos.
 Your
official debut "Armageddon" - I assume this is your most important one.
Isn´t it? The only thing I do not like is the logo you used… On the
other hand, in that time, it was in all the shops in the country...
Commercially it must be the best Törr album, am I right?
Yes, I like this record. It was our first and over 80.000 copies
were sold. We had a good luck for a big label with perfect
distribution. But… they was not really fair concerning our money - for
us it was a good experince for the future. And the logo, I used it on
purpose, to make it as clear and readable as possible, you know, it
was our debut and our logo was known only to our die hard fans… One
more bad thing with Multisonic… they promised lacquered cover, but to
save money they did not do it...
The second album "Institut klinické smrti" contains your original
logo, but really small one, even smaller than the logo of the label.
Has this also been some purpose or logo was not that important for
some reason?
OK, it was another painful experience. I was not right with them
when they prepare it at the printing plant. Well, we learned from own
mistakes. Since this time, after all the experineces with printing and
pressing plants I try to check everything myself, to check each of
their steps. When you leave your work to people who does not
understand it, such mistakes are very likely.
 The
painting on the cover was not so often yet in those times. Have you
been in doubt whether to use it or not?
No, no, I have always been sure about this - because it was my
idea. It was quite difficult to find some good painter, with open mind,
without prejudices, who would dare to paint it. Few famous ones
refused to paint it, it was the reason why the LP was released later
than we have planned. I was convinced so strongly about this topic (depicting
that „religion is dead“) that eventually I found the right person. It
was one of the young Törr fans, a guy from Prague Pavel Fides. He also
painted our logo on curtain which we use on our shows up to the
present day.
„Religion is dead, the cross is broken, dancing in fire we´re smoking
shit“… I can hear your words. But tell me explicitly, what is your
personal faith, if we are not talking about christianity or religion
in general?
This are very personal matters and I would not like to speak about
this publicly. Generally, I am not the one to tell people how to think
about life and how to live...
 The
cover of your third LP "Chcípni o kus dál" is in my opinion very
precious. Painted by Martin Zhouf, logo is this time big enough… But
pink... As an insert, there was a certain caricature of the band. Can
you tell us something more about it?
Sure, Martin Zhouf is out top artist in sci-fi genre. I cooperated
with him on his work, I added few own ideas. For us it was a big
honour that Martin used this painting also on the front cover of his
autobiographic book. I have also seen this painting few times as
helmet airbrush, nice. The pink logo and the insert is again faux pax
of EMI label and the printing plant. It is corrected as late as in "Gallery"
CD. The colour should be bloody red, but you can do nothing about this.
Assholes are everywhere. The painting on the insert… Initially it
shout have been the cover, but Zhouf did not realize it as I wished,
it did not have the feeling, so we decided to use it for the insert.
There should be our caricatures, depicting us to be blown-out by
hunger and starveling African children around us. It should be a kind
of our practical joke and provocation, as well as we later did with
the person on the wheelchair on CD "Tanec Svatého Víta". I like this
raw humour. It was a reaction to the fact, that since our childhood
someone still asks some subsidies for people from the other part of
the world, while ourselves do not have enough. One can be a
samarithian only when he is rich.
Do you think it is possible in the Czech Republic to earn for living
by metal music?
It depends what you mean by metal. If for example Kabát, than you
can live very confortably… It depends what you expec from it, how much
you work, if someone else is interested in what you do that much to
pay you for it. I live from playing metal for 20 years…
Well, I mean black metal, or Törr. I am sure you enjoy your job. But
do you still enjoy it that intensively as at your beginning?
You cannot make music if you do not enjoy it. You have to struggle
to survive, especially when you play marginal kind of music. Yes, I
enjoy it as I did at the beggining.
The following vinyls of Törr was "Kladivo na čarodějnice", we have
already talked about it. I did not know about its existence until our
interview. I think vinyl collectors will be also very surprised...
Then there was a gap, few albums were released only as CDs. Thus we
reach the present time. Vinyl "Made In Hell" was released by the Czech
label Monster Nation. Have you accepted their offer immediately? Have
the negotioation been somehow complicated? And was everything this
time as you wished?
The negotiation with Miloš was fair and fast. We wished to have
the vinyl, so we decided to sign, although it is no big deal for us.
It is… just for our pleasure and for the fans.
I guess you have no reminders concernign the cover… Are there any
differences compared to CD?
As for the cover, there are big differences. There are much more
photos. And as it was me and my friend Jirka Šujanský, by the way the
vocalist of Moriorr, I have no reminders.
 And
now the latest vinyl "Törritorium". Have you recorded this album and
prepared the cover awaring of the fact that it will be also released
on LP? Or the vinyl offer came again afterwards?
I don´t know, it´s more a question to Monster Nation. We did not
count with it... that "Törritorium" will appear on vinyl. Monster
Nation contacted us after the CD was out, maybe they were waiting with
their decision for some acceptance of the CD. There are not bands here
today which have vinyls of their current albums… that´s what I like,
the exceptionality.
Can you compare "Törritorium" and "Made In Hell" concerning the music
and lyrics?
I am not able to compare it exactly. I like both of them, they are
both my children. "Törritorium" sounds slightly better, it is more
compact and aggressive than "Made in Hell". The songs are darker and
harder. "Made In Hell" contains more hit songs and in a way joyful
lyrics. Both records contain precious songs, both of them contains a
lot from us…
 I
cannot leave the topic of "Kladivu na čarodějnice". We still do not
know how many copies have been made and why it was not avaialble?
As far as I know, one thousand copies have been made and they have
been distributed. The fact than none could find it may be caused by
the decay of vinyls and the boom of CDs in 1994. Mostly CDs and MCs
were sold. It is pretty possible that the rest of vinyls was scrapped
somewhere…
And for the end of our interview I would like to talk about the first
Törr vinyl, the single "Kult ohně" / "Kladivo na čarodějnice". What
was your feelings when you managed to make your first official release?
 It´s
hard to describe the feeling. When we were leaving the studio of Petr
Janda, still in the car we listened the tape with our first studio
recordings. We have realized than from now on we are a real band!
Whatever is the first time in your life is magic. These first moments
were much stronger than the existence of the single itself. I came
from the single generation, so I wished to have more singles. The
second one should be a support single for our LP "Armageddon" and it
should contain: "Válka s nebem" / "Armageddon". But by some stupid
mistake someone deleted the recordings and this single had never been
released. Fortunatelly I made a back-up cassette copy so I can add it
to our latest release, the 3CD boxset "Inkubatorr", released really
recently. Monster Nation recently contacted us and we talked a bit
about the possible releasing of it, maybe even as picture disk. Let´s
see, vinyl is very nice format!
Photography (exclusive for Vinyl Disk Musick): Lenka Henychová |
