Pic courtesy of: Oath to Vanquish "Our debut album is a living manifestation of years of hard work and proof that we did break all barriers by releasing it worldwide. We look at it with pride"

CR: Hey man first of all happy holidays! How are you? How’s Lebanon doing?
Elias Abboud: Thanks man, same to you. About Lebanon, I honestly have no clue. I don’t think anyone does. These days I try to distance myself from what has become an increasingly complicated saga with no foreseeable end. Instead of spending my time analyzing the political speeches of the day, which seems to be the concern of everyone around me, these days I channel all my energy towards writing killer riffs, and I must say I am passing through a period of great inspiration!

CR: Oath to Vanquish open recently for Rotting Christ in Cyprus how was that whole experience for you guys? Apparently Oath is no longer just an underground act that is known by obscure internet sites (like us for example!)
Elias Abboud: The whole Cyprus experience was surely something to write home about! It was exhilarating. As soon as we landed in Larnaka we remembered how close Cyprus really is. We certainly did not expect to be received with such hospitality and warmth. The Cypriot metallers were as much of a surprise to us as we were to them, in a very good sense. As soon as we hit the stage the hall filled with cheers! We responded with a great performance, and the crowd responded with a never ending mosh. We had met some of the principal figures in the crowd the day before during a signing session at a tattoo shop in the capital. The organizers were extremely professional and diligent. It is true as you said that Oath to Vanquish are slowly but surely achieving a higher level of recognition as strong proponents of extreme metal in the Middle East. Hopefully we will be able to raise our profile by taking part in some festivals worldwide next year.

CR: You guys are quite known over here; another Costarrican magazine had you on one of their compilation cds “Call to the Infernal Hordes”; we have a nice Lebanese colony here in San Jose so is safe to say that we are more than happy to welcome first the people and now your music. How big of an impact has this debut album had in you day to day life?
Elias Abboud: Thank you for your kind words. We would certainly love to visit your lovely country one day and perhaps play a show there. Our debut album is a living manifestation of years of hard work and proof that we did break all barriers by releasing it worldwide. We look at it with pride. It has brought much satisfaction and passion into our lives. I remember someone in Cyprus calling it a miracle, and it was indeed our miracle. “Applied Schizophrenic Science” brought OTV to the world, and as far as we are concerned it will always remain a milestone.

CR: Just as a brief intro, why don’t you tell us how did Oath to Vanquish manage to find a label for your debut album?
Elias Abboud: After almost a year of sending music to almost every label most likely to be interested in our genre of cataclysmic dissonance, we received positive feedback from Grindethic Records whose interest in our music sprung from a real appreciation of our musicianship and diverse style. Their desire to cooperate was sincere and genuine. We had met them a year back, and they seemed to be part of a nearly extinct race of people still into metal for all the right reasons.

CR: Applied Schizophrenic Science was mixed and mastered by Colin Davis from Vile; I presume that was set up by your record label Grindethic? Having someone over in the final stages of the album like Davis that knows about death metal, that knows and plays a very brutal style of death metal, did that gave you some reasons to be more confident in the final product you guys were going to be putting out? Did any of you guys had a chance to talk to Davis?
Elias Abboud: Working with Colin did indeed give us a high level of confidence. It was easier than expected given the distance. Somehow we felt we could trust him completely, and I guess the results speak for themselves. Colin’s work was crucial in delivering a colossal sound of tidal wave proportions in adherence with the album theme and inherent musical diversity. As a matter of fact a link to Colin’s “Imperial Mastering” website was given to us by a close friend, and this is how our cooperation started.

CR: “Applied Schizophrenic Science” has received some pretty good reviews world wide, every artist off course believes in his or her work, but did you expected such a good welcome from the world metal community? What comment or comments have surprised you the most, you know any special review or article that really meant a lot to you guys?
Elias Abboud: We were unsure about the response the media would have about this album, especially as it is not your usual mainstream grind or gore album but rather on the more eclectic side, schizophrenic if you like. The positive acclaim for the album’s qualities from the world media was indeed surprising, and perhaps 2 of my favourite quotes are the following:

"one of the best extreme metal releases I've listened to this year"
"as an Israeli music journalist listening to this Lebanese grind band I have to say, we need to have peace, even just to have these guys come over for a show in Tel Aviv"
Alon Miasnikov, ALTERNATIVE MAGAZINE (Israel)

"sounds like fucking hell has opened their doors to fuck up the mortal livings here on this shitty planet."
BURNING MISERY ( Holland )

CR: Do you guys have some distribution in the Arab countries?
Elias Abboud: Our CD was release under license by Mute Records in Jordan for the Middle East and North African region, and Mute takes care of the distribution in the Arab World.

	Pic courtesy of: Oath to Vanquish
	"With the release of our debut album we proved to our parents, all other skeptics and to ourselves that with diligence and the right mindset, nothing is impossible. I guess our family has still to come to terms with the nature of the music we chose to play, but they now grow more supportive with every tour and every gig"

CR: This may sound like a dumb question, but I have to ask it, What does your family think about your “addiction” to metal, to music in general, and how did they reacted when Oath to Vanquish got a record deal?
Elias Abboud: Let me first start off by saying that I do not find this question the least bit dumb. On the contrary it is very interesting. My brother Carlos (OTV drummer) and I both have an engineering background, and we both work in our family’s industrial establishment. Ever since we embarked on this journey a decade ago our family’s general view has always been that we should dedicate most our time to work and that it would be useless to pursue such childish dreams, but little did that affect our desire to make our music known to the world! It gave us more of a drive to carry on. With the release of our debut album we proved to our parents, all other skeptics and to ourselves that with diligence and the right mindset, nothing is impossible. I guess our family has still to come to terms with the nature of the music we chose to play, but they now grow more supportive with every tour and every gig. We were able to convey the message that our music will remain a huge part of our lives for as long as there is air in our lungs. We have always found solace in our music, in metal, a world beyond the difficulties of daily life in Lebanon, beyond conflicts, beyond war!

CR: Lets get into the album, first of, what does that cover art work mean? Who did the cover for you guys?
Elias Abboud: The cover is the work of Mike Bohatch of Eyes of Chaos. It portrays conflict within a diseased mind, which can turn its owner into a potentially dangerous individual, self destructive at times, with the potency and willingness to react in unpredictably violent methods to maltreatment, as this maddened individual relives accrued transgression from the past.

CR: Applied Schizophrenic Science is by all measures a brutal record, but you guys seem to allow or provide some room in every song to show a more technical side, and sometimes a more “melodic” side, if you had to describe how the record sounds to us how would you do it?
Elias Abboud: “Applied Schizophrenic Science” is a journey into the ruthless depths of the extreme, an expression of unyielding power spawned from bare human existence, a tidal wave of infuriated dissonance with lapses of melodious despair, a transcendence into strange realms within one’s mind laden with conflicts, uncertainty, retribution, wars, confusion, desolation and anguish, all manifested by music.

CR: In the press release, or press notes provided by Grindethic, it states and I believe you have also done this, you state that the lyrics have a very “political” approach, which song do you think is the one that best shows this “political” side of the band?
Elias Abboud: I would say “Executive Onslaught” epitomizes our views regarding the deceitful, fraudulent and corrupt political race responsible for plunging our country into disaster and economic breakdown time and time again. By dissecting the lyrics one is sure to learn about the inevitable fate of such despicable human beings at the hands of our schizophrenic tactful killing machine. Read and discover a shrewd means to dispose of such despicable rapists of human rights with full craftsmanship.

CR: For some reason and this could just be me but, the first 4 tracks on the album sound very USA death metal inspired, but is when “Toxic Bowel Manoeuvre” comes into play that Oath to Vanquish sounds a bit more inspired by European death metal than anything else; I mean the entire album has a very personal sound, but the melodies in that particular song really sounded to me a bit more European inspired death metal, you know more complex melodies and more “room” for the guitars to display longer catchier riffs. Do you see this record as drawing inspiration mainly from old school death acts, or there are some new bands that have actually helped the band shape its own sound?
Elias Abboud: I really feel that this record was inspired by the many forms of extreme music that we’ve been exposed to over the years, with not real time constraints. Music in its essence it timeless, and only acquires this quality of timelessness when it moves you in a unique and particular way. Consequently you can here elements of death metal from the US and from Europe, both old and new, and this is also true for black metal. Certainly we were more inspired by some bands than others; however, it is very satisfying when most reviews fail to agree on a single description, classification or comparison regarding our music.

CR: I believe the factor that made Applied Schizophrenic Science such a great success in the underground is the quality of the melodies in it, I mean Oath to Vanquish is not one of those bands that just want to be brutal, or fast, you guys actually write songs that go beyond that; I think a great example of this is the “melodic/heavy” Sulphuric Semen great song really. Which songs on this record do you think can describe with all honesty, what the band is trying to do, which songs are the most complex and why not which ones are the most fun to play?
Elias Abboud: As individuals we have a vast musical background originating from classical music and mysteriously finding its way to the most extreme genres of metal, and this diversity in our compositions is like second nature to us. Although manifested more in some songs than in others it is largely dependent on the idea, the source of inspiration and the frame of mind during the creating process, thus you find shorter songs that immediately and incessantly grip your entrails and longer more diverse songs that hoist you into another world in an Carlos Rodrígueztion of styles reflecting each sequence of events. I would say the song that mostly portrays our band’s identity is “Funeral in F Sharp”, which is by the way the song I most enjoy performing.

CR: What does a track like Sorrow In Adornment means to a death/grind metal album? And why did you think is so important as for you guys to put it into your debut?
Elias Abboud: “Sorrow in Adornment” is fundamental in immersing the listener into the mayhem and destruction inherent in the imminent “Coat-hanger Massacre”. If you listen carefully you will find that the melody played is the classical interpretation of the opening riff, thus reflecting an equally powerful but intrinsically different emotion, one related to sadness at the inevitable aftermath.

	Pic courtesy of: Oath to Vanquish "As individuals we have a vast musical background originating from classical music and mysteriously finding its way to the most extreme genres of metal, and this diversity in our compositions is like second nature to us"

CR: It is quite uncommon to see a drummer that is also the lead singer in a band, have you guys consider finding a lead singer, someone that can only focus on the singing to allow Carlos to just focus on the drums? (By no means I’m trying to say that he’s voice is bad, actually is quite brutal)
Elias Abboud: There is a major misunderstanding here, and I therefore feel the necessity to explain. Carlos is not the lead singer of the band. Carlos makes a vocal contribution to the recording wherever a musical passage is suited to his vocal qualities, but with the level of his drumming it would be virtually impossible for him to participate vocally during a live performance. In the album the vocal duties are mostly handled by me and Cyril, with Carlos making a smaller but powerful contribution that proves quite useful and effective and adds to the diversity of the sound. This is a characteristic value that we will certainly conserve in all future recordings, as I believe it sets us apart from our peers. We are therefore completely self sufficient and do not need to recruit any additional member(s) for vocals. We love the idea of a 3 piece band, and the idea of a band member just standing there with a microphone solely doing vocals in general does not raise much enthusiasm in the Oath to Vanquish camp.

CR: In a previous interview given by Elias Abboud to Night Ritual Webzine, he comments on the fact that Metal music is sort of censor in Lebanon, that it is hard if not almost impossible to find a metal record been sold on a record store (It was sort of like that 15 years ago here in San Jose; still we have the church and some local newspapers sabotaging some of our concerts); I feel that these circumstances actually guide or create a more than normal brutal underground scene, after been so repressed for so long, when the bands are allowed to play they have all this hunger, and it really shows in the music you guys put out for example. Do you see a future where metal becomes a well accepted musical genre in your country? Would you consider leaving your country in order to pursue a metal “career”?
Elias Abboud: I would be lying if I said we have not considered leaving our country to make it easier for our band to progress, but whether we will do it in the end remains to be seen, as we all have full time jobs, careers and families. Whatever the future holds for metal in our country and our surrounding region, it will certainly not be received with open arms and will never enjoy a similar freedom as in the Western world. Society here is reluctant to classify metal as simply music, but rather part of a whole cult experience associated with Satanism, drugs, degradation and concealed obscurities that will only serve to society’s detriment. I believe however that there are much graver matters to worry about, and we will therefore pursue our attempts to drive our society, which is largely affected by religion, away from these misconceptions that have now become ingrained in people’s minds and are automatically triggered whenever the subject of metal is mentioned. Metal, especially in its extreme forms, will however remain more underground in this part of the world than any other.

CR: As a metal band in a very unconventional environment (at least for now that is) do you feel sometimes “artistically neglected”, I’m not implying that you are or sound like you are complaining, I just wanted to know how does a metal artist manages to create the music he loves with so much going around them and still not abandon the desire to play metal?
Elias Abboud: Metal is certainly not a mainstream form of music in Lebanon or anywhere else in the Arab world for that matter. Metal bands have very little backing from sponsors, and events are therefore very scarce. We know of many outfits that have folded under society’s pressure and simply changed their ways as they joined the more mainstream cultures, but then again we like to think that they are not real metallers. A metal artist in this country can make use of his/her daily life as a potent source of inspiration in a country where conflicts are real and the remnants visible in all aspects of life.

	Pic courtesy of: Oath to Vanquish
	"What it takes is a sincere willingness to achieve a long lasting peace by ensuring that the concerns of all parties involved are met, and that peace treaties are not sewn to meet the benefits of one side as usual"

CR: I just wanted to hear your opinion on this, I saw on CNN a couple of years ago that the US Marines were using metal music to torture prisoners in Guantanamo and even some Metallica songs to “psychologically” induce fear in a couple of battles in Iraq; is it ok to use metal to scare the enemy? Do you think such actions could have a very negative and perhaps even destructive repercussion on bands like yours that live and play in an Arab country?
(Here is the BBC link http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3042907.stm)
Elias Abboud: I would understand that there would be certain repercussions if music with potential fear inducing qualities to unaccustomed listeners such as extreme forms of death metal and black metal were used over extended séances of torture, but do you seriously think that Metallica’s music would succeed in scaring people during battle or torturing them? On the other hand metal should in no way be used to torture people. That would be very wrong and would definitely add yet another hurdle to it being accepted in the Arabic countries. Our music has a far deeper meaning and transcends way beyond the shortcomings of a simple horror film.

CR: Just wanted to know your opinion in the so called “peace talks” that are been held one more time by the US, The Palestinians and the Israelis, I ask since your country has been directly affected by the Israel/Hezbollah war a couple of years ago? What does it take for all the parties to come to an understanding and finally achieving peace?
Elias Abboud: What it takes is a sincere willingness to achieve a long lasting peace by ensuring that the concerns of all parties involved are met, and that peace treaties are not sewn to meet the benefits of one side as usual. As long as religion and segregation are involved there will be very little hope for peace in the region.

CR: Well man thank you very much for your time, sorry again to be sending you this questions so close to the holidays, very nice debut album, hope to hear more from you guys soon, please excuse the “political” questions and please if you will like to add something else feel free to do so…
Elias Abboud: I would like to wish you all the best for 2008 and to thank you for taking the time to write such interesting questions. Thank you for this opportunity to reveal more about Oath to Vanquish to your readers. Cheers and look out for our upcoming EP “In Dire Consequence”!