Interviews: Küntsquäd

On this new occasion, we had the opportunity to interview the Death Metal/Crust band Küntsquäd from Australia. Check out the interview and follow this band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1 . Your Mum Sucks Crack In Hell” takes a legendary Exorcist quote and warps it into modern drug culture. Where did that idea ignite, and what were you trying to torch with it?

The title serves to create a connection with the idea around the malevolence of the demon in its desecration of the sanctity of motherhood, through slander. Likewise, that theme or idea is the intent around this track… the juxtaposition of the two seemingly opposite things, which in its contrast serves to highlight the demonisation of some drugs over others, and highlight the absurdity of prohibition and criminalisation of illicit drug use. The oxymoron also alludes to the question around the commonality of our illicit drug use ( in this case ‘crack’), and the disproportionate amount of social angst created around its criminality and overall ill effects… which is really a question for debate about the way censorship/ prohibition laws governing illicit drug use in our society is used … as a means of control and not the sanctimonious sentiment of concerned rhetoric that’s preached. . We vehemently oppose censorship and regulatory institutions that perpetrate the enslavement of our populace and feed us the dregs of what should be our individual human right as adults to choose and decide. There's no excuse to not challenge the mindset of complacency we’re drip-fed since birth..

Your mum sucks crack… in hell… why? Because she is relatable and traditionally painted as the safety beacon, one that should represent the safe, nurturing, feminine energy that manifests positively in our trusting of humanity and all its flaws... but there are obvious paradoxes. We don’t always see the reality or truths. The individual journeys are varied, but they’re yours, good or bad yours. 

2. KÜNTSQUÄD has always balanced bile and humour. How conscious is that? Do you plan your satire, or does it just leak out of the wounds?

Not really planned, it’s more a reflection of the cynicism of the band members when it comes to the way we see the world. Most often, when a song is composed they title has already been conceived, that is, a topic of concern or interest, and then the lyrics ( usually minimal, to allow curiosity rather than the answers) follow. Our wounds are pretty dee,p so we can allow ourselves to mock the absurdity of the state of affairs in question. We are Australian, it’s what we like to do … take the piss.

3. The song leans into hypocrisy around drug control versus socially-approved addictions. What pushed you into tackling that angle and why now?

Because it’s hypocrisy at its worst, and it’s not about the particular drug or its potential dangers, it’s about control, power and wealth. The demonisation of some illicit substances over others is nonsensical because all drugs have their risks, positives and negatives, so discriminating between them (legal vs illicit vs prescription) doesn’t always make some more dangerous than others… It’s a manufactured illusion and scaremongering. The government treats its adults like children, and prohibition is just another tool used, when the real corruption lies firmly within their ranks, despite their conversations and policies around attempts to rein in the cartels… who’s the problem here? And who’s really making the money ? .. so lucrative, that it needs to be prohibited so that the wealth and power can be protected. So perhaps we can start at decriminalisation of the ‘users’ and then look at how to actually “clean it all up” (paradoxically speaking) by removing prohibitions, and allow those who want to use, use. There are ways to make it work if the real agenda was of genuine concern. As one reviewer commented, the song “becomes a mirror held up to the way illicit drug use is framed as moral collapse or satanic corruption, while legal substances and state-sanctioned addictions are quietly normalised or monetised.”

4. Satan’s Cock hasn’t exactly been a quiet release. Did you expect the underground to rally behind it the way it has?

Yeah, it’s had its fair share of filth and fury thrown at it, along with some profanity and goat semen. Actually, it’s conceptually polarising, because the Satanic theme isn’t really about Satan or esoterics, rather it’s used as an anagram to conceptualise many things our society likes to demonise, justify or normalise. It’s a lure, which, when coupled with the visuals (videos), which are basically prompts, the ideas explored or questions asked become more apparent. So we were surprised that most people understood what we were trying to do with this album, but some obviously don’t get it, and for these people. It might just seem blasphemous or shocking for shock value alone…

5. The video is raw, hostile, and unpolished to the bone. What informed the approach, and how much of it is aesthetic versus necessity?

The video is mainly live footage from our shows, and most of it from fans' cameras, so it’s going to be raw as fuck, but that’s ok with us, as it’s preferable to miming. I’m not opposed to this, by the way, but if one can have access to the real thing, then great imo. The only exception to this is the segment that was filmed by a local photographer, Rob Cuzens, who’s often at a lot of metal shows and very supportive of the scene here. The fireworks performed by the talented professionals at Flames of Anubis

6. For readers unfamiliar with the band, how would you define crustmetal/deathpunk through the KÜNTSQUÄD

We prefer to call it crust death metal. Same sort of thing, however, we are an extreme metal band with a definite punk influence, but not so much sonically, more so as a reflection of the rawness we like to exploit. It’s more of a structural songwriting thing, where the compositional style or phrasing reflects what you more typically would see in a punk song. Also compositionally, it’s no denying we lean towards using the platform for what might be considered a more anarchist social commentary through the lyrical content, even though not all is about anarchy, the anger and purging of the dichotomy is quite punk-inspired. It’s just the mindset I have as a default position and not something that’s contrived or manipulated beforehand. It’s not about categories or gatekeeping, but if we must name a style, then it suffices as far as giving people a clue as to what we are about.

7. Let’s talk artwork. Rok from Sadistik Exekution handled the cover. What conversation did you have with him about the imagery, and what was the goal?

So this is the second offering from Rok for us, and as I’m probably one of Sad Ex’s biggest fans musically, it’s no surprise that with this fondness for the quirky, I find his art equally interesting as his style and approach to his (and their) music. The conversations we had with regard to the art were quite limited in the sense that he was given the title of the album, and the ideas for its artistic interpretation would be left up to Rok to decide. Again, trusting him to come up with the goods was not something I doubted would happen, as his ideology and mine I believe are quite aligned when it comes to satirically inspired art.. his style is inimitable in so many ways and easily recognizable as his brand so the reasons for me approaching him was mostly due to this factor apart from his the unmistakable sense he has of creating of dark inspired art which works very well with our ethos as a band. Interestingly, when I gave him the title of the album, “Satan's Cock”, he had a bit of a chuckle, acknowledging the satire and piss take… he totally got it… His eye for taking the piss is quite astute, and this I have never doubted as a fan of his band. We also share a commonality with regard to the somewhat tedious leanings some in the metal genre will have with respect to a strictness of style or genre definition, as is exemplified in the footage of a famously well-documented interview, where he is clearly exhibiting a provocatively disdainful “fuck you” attitude towards the questions asked by the interviewer… I believe the famously coined phrase “we are death, fukk you” played a part in this iconic phrase, probably a culmination of a result of much controversy around the band, not precluding the question asked that day regarding what ‘style’ Sad Ex were….

8. Can you give a track-by-track breakdown of Satan’s Cock for the zine? What filth does each song smear across the listeners’ eardrums?

The lyrical intentions are a lure to evoke curiosity, filth and all with respect to some things that aren’t so pleasant to confront… or a voyeuristic exploit to the potential of differing viewpoints in what is seen as the accepted “ordinary” perspective. The lyrics do not offer solutions, only questions or commentary on various topics of discussion, much of which is intentionally cryptic or obfuscated. 

Breakdown of album tracks:

Piss n purge: is basically having a poke at the stereotypical ideology around the rockstar lifestyle, where consumerist habits end up in the vein, in the bowel, in the lungs, or all of the aforementioned.... and then purged either through the mouth, through the bowels, through a lyrical tantrum or all of the above.

Satans cock: is a reference to the consumerist society we belong to and the constructs that purposefully encourage that ideology of consumption and productivity equaling fair and just rewards for our work… the systems perpetuate the false belief that productivity and success in sucking Satan's cock is a tool that enables fair and just rewards, measured by acquisitions and status. Divide and conquer. An industrialised population is an enslaved one, where the cycles are endless and often meaningless, and the true worth of humanity is being exploited by the elite few. Ironically, we all suck satans cock. We are blinded by our very acceptance and apathy, for want of a better existence and unquestionably accept this method of existence because we are blindly indoctrinated from birth into some holy crusade that does not benefit other elements of our humanity. The measure of our worth is merely numbers and commodities. … a desirable existence reinforced by all forms of commercial and social media, which satirically transfixes us all into some false belief that it is a just and worthy system that recompenses the individual who ‘works the hardest’, when the reality is more so that we are condemned to a lifetime of entrapment, a means to an end. Working for the masters that be, to drive these cogs, is by its very nature, a paradoxical nightmare that only ends when we die, or are left to consume more of pharmaceuticals to ensure we stay sick before we die. One last hurrah for Satan!

Sucking Satans cock is a necessity, desirable, and encouraged. The objects of our affections are all to be found within these cycles of capitalist enrichment, where the ‘subservience’ is necessary; anything else is some conspiracy theorists' delusion, an oxymoron, as we continue to sell our souls, oblivious to the true agendas of the masters of its churning machines.

Genital dismemberment bot cult: the end of humanity as the doomsday clock ticks incessantly towards the annihilation of the planet and all who have raped it into a catastrophic wasteland of consumerist greed. Our annihilation by the masters of our own invention, created to serve and enrich us. The castration of humanity. We are vermin, deemed ignorant and willfully destructive, only worthy of extermination, culminating in an Extinction-level event that finally terminates the rapists, but the uprising is inevitably met with an almost morbid curiosity in seeking to understand the human psyche on its nihilistic trajectory. Inhabitants of a post-apocalyptic world and its altered sense of universe become the perpetrators of renewed agendas of similar ambition to dominate and ultimately bearers of their own demise. The universe always returns to chaos.

Fuck me jebus: a satirical poke at the institutions of religion and its rituals of sacrifice, service and obedience. A play on the scene in “The Exorcist “, where Reagan fucks herself with a crucifix. Another construct of intent to control and profit upon the weak, predatory indoctrination, often adopting the rhetoric of blind religious observance and faith as a desirable, chaste and worthy pathway in which we will achieve ultimate redemption and salvation for the gluttony of sins begotten by worshipping Satan’s cock.

Psychotropic Lyfe: essentially a song about substance use and abuse, and the role of big pharma in control of its dispensing.

Dot: lyrically, it’s a reference to thoughts of self-harm and the psyche’s darkness experienced in the depths of mental health illness, such as the widespread prevalence of conditions such as depression and anxiety in disproportionate amounts in modern society. Referencing the loss of one's rational self, when deep inside one’s own head-speak, Comparable to the drops within the depths of an ocean, and drowning in that sea of murky waters. signifying the despair and helplessness felt when all options seem pointless.

Ominous: the progressive destruction of this planet's resources, referencing the disregard for a respectful relationship with the fragile systems supporting life. An extinction event on the horizon with hypotheticals around its ultimate demise. 

Zombie cum: in a post covid world, where the speculation around the depopulation agenda is realised via the introduction of a new and more potent virus, used as a weapon of control. The reality of illness and mass hysteria as a catalyst for the chaos unleashed upon the planet, rendering all humans incapacitated and powerless (like zombies). Also referencing the ultimate demise of our species, which by deception and default, surrenders to an imposed sterilisation process undertaken by our governments and ‘friends’ in high places via their usual covert means of actioning their agendas.

Eat your entrails: cannibalism, a not so subtle reference to ‘Soylent green’ … the food chain ends here… a result of a devastated planets resources, and a last desperate attempt for survival by preying on your own, when there is nothing left,… also synonymous with the agony and guilt felt when ruminating on the ways in which this depravity played out in your own world, ‘eating one’s heart out’ for want of that which has evaded common sense and led to the individual plight. Symbolically, the title essentially describes the effects of a rabid society whose sufferance manifests as survival of the fittest in physical and emotional terms in a post-apocalyptic world. Your mum sucks crack in hell:

Another reference to. The Exorcist,” but this plays on the phrase “your mother sucks cocks in hell”.. a satirical poke at the crack culture and its prevalence amongst a society devoid of many pleasures left, with the connotations that this particular drug is more destructible drive than others, often misconstrued as to be more satanic than other drugs of choice..including the legal ones. A hypothetical around the control of illegal drugs by certain factions within our communities and its deeply connected overlords in high places… the solution to the bigger issue of its control and distribution is an obvious one, that many a politician is unwilling to action because there’s a moral majority that needs appeasing and an election that needs to be won. The principle here is that, regardless of the wrongful demonisation of certain drugs, the choice to consume or not should be for adults to decide. 

9. Jason Fuller and Jamie Collic handled recording and mastering at Goatsound. What made that the right environment for this record?

There was comfort in the fact that Jason was familiar with us and what we wanted, through the first recording we did with him, and this was a precursor to feeling confident that he would be able to get the soundscape we wanted. There’s no right or wrong environment, only anticipation and excitement at seeing your ideas come to fruition and creating that soundscape that is intended. He is very relaxed in his approach and not someone who is intimidating or overly controlling of how things should or shouldn’t be done. So this in itself created an environment that was conducive to collaboration and discussion about what may or may not work… nothing is out of the question and therefore the prospect of experimentation, if needed, would not be met with attitude or disdain… Jamie was brought in to offer another pair of ears to the project, particularly when Jason had his own personal crises to deal with, and us being so adamant and non-compromising with respect to some of the sounds we were chasing. It all ended up surprisingly pleasing for us, despite the unintended roadblocks along the way. 

10. What’s the core philosophy behind the band? Pure chaos for chaos’ sake or a deliberate act of commentary hidden under all the slime?

Haha.. it should be obvious here by now… we are ‘shit lording’ the world, because the world is shit. Everything’s become a joke, everything is fucked and chaos or not, the end result of humanities quest for wealth, power, fame, popularity, whatever it is, is a path to nowhere, and the joke is on us because to point out the obvious when no one wants to hear it, is a self destructive form if nihilism from the bands perspective. Will we survive the angst of the metal community? Will we be shamed into changing our name? Will we be brought down by the right-wing mindsets of the moral majority? And many more questions regarding the speculative purpose of our existence…. We don’t know or care; it is what it is. You enjoy it for its pure sonics and try to process the content questions posed, or switch us off .

11. The lineup reads like a comic book roster. How did this unholy quartet actually come together?

We formed in late 2016-17. I had taken time away from bands and stuff for several years, but after a few tough years, I felt I was ready to get back into it, so I put a call out on FB. Interestingly, a couple of former bandmates (from various previous projects) answered that call. That was Steve and Bryce, who founded the band with me at the time, and although Bryce was the first to leave, Steve remained until early 2024, when we parted ways because of his deteriorating health issues. (RIP)

Through Steve, we acquired Bret,t our bass player and Adam, our drummer, who was a friend of Bryce and stepped in when Bryce left. So Nikronomicon, our lead guitarist, is a new addition, joining in November 2024. We met Nik at our gig in Brisbane when we were touring our first album. We remained in touch and at the time we didn’t know he was ultimately going to be a member of the band .. but when Steve departed, I asked whether he would be interested in filling that position… and the rest is history.

12. Humour in metal can fall flat or feel like a joke band. How do you avoid crossing that line and keep it dangerous instead of goofy?

The whole point of this album is, in fact, satire. Blasphemy is in the eye of the beholder, or rather, the interpretation of what is considered blasphemy is debatable based on contextual delivery. Nothing new for us, on this record at least, we have refined our shitlording to make it more obvious to the non believers..there is intent behind the referencing of imagined stereotypes, as well as the obvious visual prompts and metaphorical titles to reinforce this idea… the samples exist to bind the thematic content of the album in an attempt to ensure that even your goat is offended. Not unlike Küntsquäd of 3 years ago advocating death by Necro Nightmare, Xhrist as contemptuous, Vomitorium Compendium as a statement on the constructs of a warped system of consumer slavery and of course Fuck, which is obvious.

Blasphemy will never get old as long as there’s someone to offend. Also, as mentioned previously, we’ve never taken ourselves too seriously ( who can really). Therefore, it’s not a surprise that conceptually what we do could be taken out of context, but contrary to this, we see the band as a reflection of what might be questionable in our society; we’re just highlighting the absurdity within it.

13. Which films, news cycles, or cultural disasters fed into the writing of Satan’s Cock?

There are so many issues or topics of interest in the world, both historically and presently… some of them are obvious, such as the rise of AI with all its potential impacts and ramifications, a post Covid world in the wait for another viral outbreak, ethnic cleansing, mass extinction events, the new world order agenda, depopulation… I could go on and on, but after all that contemplation, I get straight back to the distraction that is horror movies. So inspiration comes in different ways to be honest, particularly given the world we live in, the social context and the structures apparent that rule our lives and their confines of subjugation. It’s not hard to see these processes at play, and the ambiguity or reality of what is apparent, juxtaposed with the superficialities sold as truth, is a mockery. The truths of our existence are at best perverted in ways that reinforce these ideals, in particular the ideas we as a society buy into and of which are presented to us as desirable and necessary.

The propaganda of the perverse ideologies that fuel our existence is, by its very nature, satirical and preposterous, as it is an oxymoron. We are led to believe we all live our lives with the intent and purpose gained… differing depending on your own objectives, but the commonality here is that whatever purpose is intended, it’s all part of a package that we fit nicely into, consciously or not, yet the irony is also that the awareness of the confines and ‘rules’ do not alter the systems that bind those actions. None of this is new, and the chaos of the cataclysmic change that will inevitably happen because of humanity's trajectory on this planet is nothing short of a paradox that plays out like a nightmare we cannot escape, whilst everyone stares at the obvious sense of powerlessness to change. By its very nature, references to Satan are problematic, depending on which side of the fence you sit on, with its connotations, if at all. Some seek solace, through religion, drugs, therapy, the list goes on, but inevitably anything that strays too far from the doctrines of perceived ‘normality’ renders you an outcast, a conspirator, illusionary, blasphemous, psychotic or worse .. you are the work of Satan, anything that strays off the prescribed pathways of the constructs, is met with contempt, derision and hatred.

All the while the never-ending charade hypocrisy parades on our screens, our workplaces, our streets, our homes, the delusional idea of somehow being saved from ourselves simply by following society's script is contemptuous, controlling and outright devolutionary. Inspiration comes from the challenges presented to inform oneself, rather than blindly accepting the path that is easiest taken ie: compliance, servitude, blind acceptance of untruths and distorted realities. Best we all stay ignorant? Big pharma, institutions of control and power, and the scripted monologues of our politicians only further prey on the cultivated weaknesses of the individuals whose resilience and tolerance is tested. So as exemplified above, there is no shortage of inspiration to fuel the content of the music we produce.

The anger is real, but the reality of its effect is destructive. So essentially, I like to use satire as a tool to taunt this paradox, as a means to stir curiosity in these paradoxical constructs and poke fun at our apathy, those popular culture stereotypes and so forth, as a means to also highlight and question the veracity of said constructs that define our existence. It’s comical and grotesque all at the same time because of the situation we all find ourselves in, as humanity continues to proceed in the most consciously self-destructive ways. Sadly, we inadvertently justify or condone this through our own apathy and selfishness, coupled with a perceived lack of individual power to change the trajectory of our existence. The satire in our music and lyrical content is to highlight the obvious perversity, as mentioned previously, to poke fun at the objectified seriousness we are sold through our culture, beliefs, our systems of control, institutions and obviously the consumerist capitalist agendas we are urged to buy into. Our collective subservience and passivity are a priceless and crucial commodity that keeps those constructs wheels turning, all the while maintaining the masses apath,y resulting in a feeling of lonely disempowerment.

14. Paula’s vocal delivery feels half-sermon, half-possession. Was that a style built intentionally or something that mutated as the band evolved?

We didn’t start off with that intent, however, as the work emerged, it was clear the vocals needed that extra grotesqueness added to highlight the preposterousness of the titles and content matter. … so we played around with a few effects to get the full impact of the satire by amping up the deathly element and taking it to the next extreme level of monstrosity.

15. Sentinel Daily slapped you at #1 on their Top 30 list. Did recognition like that change anything internally, or are you still on the same suicidal trajectory?

Funnily, the worst review we received was from one of their journos on their site. So that being said, I suspect that perhaps they may have felt a tad bad about it, who knows, but you can imagine our surprise when it hit their charts at no 1, two weeks in a row. We were more surprised by the turnaround, perhaps to mitigate the fallout, but either way, we appreciated their support as much as we appreciated the review. We still remain relatively underground in terms of recognition here in Australia, and we have a lot of promoters who bring out metal bands from overseas, scared or reluctant to put us on… so we embrace our own humility here because if it looks like success, it's not, it’s quite the opposite. You know people are ‘looking’ at you because our page stats will show how post x or video y hit more than 2K+ views, yet the acknowledgment in terms of likes or subscriptions, etc., doesn’t follow the same trajectory. So it’s obvious we may be polarising… but it will not deter us from whatever trajectory we are on. We only know how to do us, so that’s all we can offer at this point in our evolution.

16. If you could perform this album anywhere, what venue or scenario would best match the filth and politics of the recording

Like all filth, it likes to wallow in its own excrement and discontent, so what better place than the gutters of our childhood which for me was the northern suburbs of Broady.. not many metalheads in the northern suburbs of old, but now with the gentrification of all the trendy inner suburbs of Melbourne, the north is seeing its fair share of the disenfranchised, including the musicians and alts. It’s traditionally always been the playground for crime and violence, a place for those of us at the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum, where the poverty is only surpassed by the number of new immigrants exposed to the poverty. However ,that being said, I don’t know if any venues in the northern suburbs could or would entertain the likes of us. We were banned from a venue in Brisbane ffs. .. new management took issue with the band name and decided they’d pull the plug on our CD launch gig there. … they also took a dislike to the name of our tour, ‘Satan's Cock’. I even emailed them to give them an insight into what we’re about, but that was strategically ghosted. Too funny.

17. Who are your biggest sonic influences, and who are your biggest ideological influences? Not always the same list, and often more interesting to separate.   

Ideologically, we can only reference Sad Ex. and that’s just me (Paula) for reasons explained in a previous question above, so to speculate further wouldn’t be fair to the question being asked, because generalising only serves to set you up as a target for obvious reasons. We don’t have specific bands to name in answering this question because our band members have diverse tastes in the various genres of metal, and everybody brings their own flavour to the band's narrative; to name any sort of influence would imply we have had a discussion about it… We have not. So, to list any of these bands that we admire and/ or listen to would pervert the idea of where in the “realm of the metal world” we fit. Individual Küntsquäd members come from diverse backgrounds in terms of their musical and personal interests in these various genres, so I believe it’ll be obvious to the listeners who are familiar with those bands that may have been an influence on us, if they are comparing our songwriting styles, or if it sounds? … So we’ll leave the influences perceived up to the listener, I’m sure there would be many elements within our body of work that would be obvious or reminiscent of these bands, but to name them would inadvertently be depriving or skewing the listener's perceptions of what it is they’re hearing exactly .

18. Is there anyone you’d love to collaborate with either musically, visually, or cinematically?

Would be interesting to pick Quentin Tarantino’s brain, because he’s mental, and musically, there’d be a few people I’d love to do a collab with, perhaps William Dahmer from Mortician, because he’s probably a bit mental as well… I’d entertain doing a collab with anyone who fits that criteria… You never know what’s lurking beneath the surface of those who have eccentric tendencies.    

19. Conversely, who would you rather crash a van into than ever share a stage with?

I’d love to crash a van into Lars, because it should have been Lars

20. The underground is full of fans who take things too literally, too personally, or too seriously. What’s the weirdest interpretation you’ve heard about your band or your music?

We’ve heard it all, actually, but apart from the band name being offensive to some ( because they haven’t bothered to do their research on the entity known as ‘Kunti'), apparently, we are also satanists..

21. What do you want listeners to walk away with after hearing Satan’s Cock? Disgust? Laughter? Existential dread? All three?

All of the above. I’ve always believed music has to move you in some way, whether that be disgust, disdain, pleasure or anger. It’s only as good as your connection to it is, and so if it’s just indifference, then we have failed. Really, I would just want people to think for themselves, actually, particularly when it comes to topics of contention. Some are all too quick in jumping on the proverbial bandwagon instead of personally making an effort to investigate or inform themselves. Our narrative isn’t preachy; it’s about awareness and curiosity.

22. Finally, what’s next for KÜNTSQUÄD? More videos, touring, or something even more degenerative?

Degenerative everything is something I subscribe to, haha… but apart from that, I would love to get overseas and play some shows and get to meet the people who have supported us… and those who have yet to discover us. We like to get about, so that’s a given. We plan to go in and record some new tunes and release some more music within this year, but we’ll need to wait and see how that ledger looks with Master… how the sums stack up and what debts are still owed to Satan.