Pic courtesy of: Master "I write honest music that comes from the heart and try my best to capture the intensity of the work and a particular moment in time. It proves that if you believe in what you are doing and continue to press on, people may just enjoy a piece of Metal history"

CR: Hey Paul a pleasure to have you on Leviatan! How are you doing man?
Paul Speckmann: I am doing great as always. I skimmed through the questions rather quickly just to get an idea about the interview, and I must say this looks like a long and interesting interview. Of course I will spend a few hours answering the questions as I always do. You did your research and I will give this the utmost attention. As I said when I wrote you last, I live for this stuff, and take these interviews very seriously as this gives me a chance to share my views as well as set the record straight on these issues. I appreciate the chance to speak.

CR: You have a couple of gigs line up for next year through Europe, how was the show calendar this 2007, was it busy or moderate because of the release of Master’s new album “Slaves to Society”?
Paul Speckmann: Well, we toured Europe as we always do in May and June supporting Slaves To Society as a headliner, then again supporting The Grind legends Lividity from Peoria Illinois. Both tours were quite successful and it was a pleasure sharing my vision with the masses. This was a sort of homecoming for us, as Lividity and Master shared the stages as the terrorist invaded Iraq in search of nuclear weapons back in 2003. During the shows in Holland, we spent many hours watching television as all the people in Holland did, to see if the world was about to end.. Of course in the end, Bush found nothing and sacrifices the lives of young Americans still today for his hate campaign.

CR: Already, Slaves to Society is creating some noise in the underground, I got this from a review writing in http://www.kvltsite.com/kvlt-slantings/music/master-%11-slaves-to-society.html “Slaves To Society is easily Master's best album since 1991's On the Seventh Day God Created...Master. Everything that constituted classic Master is back on Slaves To Society, from the dizzying velocity of the riffs hewn from the ripest orchards of the hardcore/crossover movement of the '80s” would you compare this new album to On the Seventh…?
Paul Speckmann: Not at all! On The Seventh Day was in a different time and era, period. The subjects from the Seventh Day were more about the personal issues that were affecting my life at that time. My mother had just passed away, and I was pissed off at the world as well as her then husband. I was questioning the motives of the so-called God as well the American ideology. I suppose the silly American ideology appears rather strongly in the latest record as well today, but I was in a different frame of mind for On The Seventh Day. I was much younger and this was my first official outing, writing on my own, with exception to the two brilliant tracks that Martinelli wrote the music for. With CD’S, it’s just hit or miss, sometimes people like the work we produce and other times it just slips by. Actually the last three CD’s are killer. You should check out The Spirit of the West as well as Four More Years of Terror. These are equally as killer as Slaves To Society. It’s just that the availability for the last two releases was quite limited.

CR: After such a long career, what do you think Slaves To Society adds to the Master legend?
Paul Speckmann: It’s the same scenario as always. I write honest music that comes from the heart and try my best to capture the intensity of the work and a particular moment in time. It proves that if you believe in what you are doing and continue to press on, people may just enjoy a piece of Metal history. Many musicians give up. I continue to tour and enjoy myself whenever possible. If it were only about money, I would have given up long ago. I believe there is a message in the music, and I wish to share this with people. Music is about change. If someone learns from the music and tries to make a change for the better, then I have done my job.

CR: To me it sounds like Slaves To Society has a way better drumming than some of your previous albums, was something done differently this time around?
Paul Speckmann: I have had the same lineup for the past five years, and let’s face it, Zdenak Pradlovsky is a killer drummer with intensity and has a special feeling for the music he creates. He gives one hundred percent when he records. He believes in what he does and this can be felt on the records. The drums and the bass guitar were recorded in only six hours complete. We recorded simultaneously, and the rest is history.

CR: Master brings back some good social/political lyrics like you have always done, do you think during this times of war, we need to be more conscious in the “music world” of what’s happening around us?
Paul Speckmann: Yes, it’s easy to write about Satan and the other religious mumbo-jumbo. I suppose this music sells as well, but I personally choose to write about what is important and happening in the world today. It’s pitiful that geriatric patients like Bush, the former Blair, and Putin are dictating the way we should live. The American ideology is shoved down the world’s throats day after day. For example, why should America have anything to do with the Middle East peace process. I realize that Bush and America give millions of dollars to Israel every year, but should Big Brother be a mediator in this bullshit. These countries need to take some responsibility for their actions and sort out their own problems.

CR: Two covers for this record, one censored and the original one, both in the same booklet, was this done for censorship issues or just a clever way to make a statement?
Paul Speckmann: Actually the German label Twilight said that they would have trouble getting the records in the German stores. I still laugh at this situation. You can go to any European gas station and the shelves are stacked with pornography. This is the normal standard in Europe as well as the USA. Maybe the new CD should be displayed next to the pornography. Sales would probably pick up.

CR: Just how involved in the writing of this album were your band mates Ales Nejezchleba and Zdenek "Zdenal" Pradlovsky?
Paul Speckmann: This is actually the first CD with Nejezchleba where he genuinely contributed some music. Aleš wrote two tracks and of course the music is killer. I had to re-arrange a few parts and of course I wrote the lyrics, but the songs he wrote, The Final Skull and The Room with Views are killer tracks. As for the drumming, Pradlovsky shows me what he can do, if I don’t already have an idea of how it should be played. I really enjoyed the writing of this album, because as you say, the guys had input. This was more like the early days when we had three writers and it was much easier to create killer songs. I have certainly realized this time around, that input from all the members creates a stronger output. We will continue with this process for the next album we will record in the fall of 2008. Nejezchleba has written four new tracks and I have written around twenty new songs. So we will pick and choose the best for the next CD..

	Pic courtesy of: Master "Yes, it’s easy to write about Satan and the other religious mumbo-jumbo. I suppose this music sells as well, but I personally choose to write about what is important and happening in the world today."

CR: For how long have you been living on the Czech Republic?
Paul Speckmann: I came to The Czech Republic in 2000 after The System Shock Over Euro 2 tour with Malevolent Creation, Master and Krabathor. Originally Vader were to be the headliner, but they cancelled to work with Metalesyee from Holland. Luckily for me my life was drastically changed after meeting Krabathor. Drummer Skull and I began jamming during soundchecks and pissing everyone off. We decided to record a CD called Martyr, Murder X, The End of the Game after this tour. I really enjoyed recording with Skull and Christopher and a real friendship began. Original bassist Bruno from Krabathor quit the band, and during the recording of our CD I was asked to join Krabathor. I accepted.
I sold all my stuff, worked for six weeks and moved to Europe. If you believe in music, you will travel anywhere to pursue your dreams. The first tour was in Japan. For the next few years I worked in Arizona moving furniture with Christopher and then I found employment in Germany with a booking agency called Bruchstein Tours. I have been with this compnay since the Lividity Tour in 2003. When Master is not on tour, I am supporting the underground working with other bands as a merchandiser, a roadie or a tour manager. I just returned from a tour with the Legendary Massacre and Kam Lee’s new band called Denial Fiend. Denail Fiend is a must for any true Metal Heads.

CR: Master has quite a descriptive bio on the web page; it took me quite a while to read the whole thing, very informative I may add! The bio claims things like “Paul has also mentioned how he feels Death are alongside Master in creating death metal” what do you think was the factor that you see Death and Master had in common in those early years?
Paul Speckmann: We were both struggling to be heard. Unfortunately for us, is that we screwed up the contract we received from Combat and never signed the contract. So Master didn’t have a release until 1989. Death was smart and signed the contract. I was surprised on the first day of the Massacre tour, Terry Butler told me that Death played a cover of the Deathstrike song I wrote called,” The Truth,” on the first Death Tour. What a small world this is.

CR: Black Sabbath had a huge influence on Master and especially on you Paul; How different do you think your style of playing would be now if you haven’t been influenced by this band?
Paul Speckmann: I have stated that Geeezer Butler had a major impact on my playing of course.
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath was a milestone record and I was greatly influenced by this masterpiece, but Harris, and Kilmister were also great influences as well as Jimmy Bain from Rainbow. So it’s hard too say.

CR: Ozzy or Dio which Sabbath do you prefer?
Paul Speckmann: Actually both singers have had their place and time in Sabbath. Hell, the record Born Again record with Ian Gillan was great record as well, but the show live with Bev Bevin, “ELO,” and Gillan was horrible in Chicago live. The only song that was any good, was, “Smoke on the Water.”
Dio is a killer singer in his own right, and of course the earlier Sabbath albums with Ozzy are unbelievable such as Volume 4, or Master of Reality. You really cannot compare the two singers. They are different completely, but both are killer in their own right.

CR: War Cry was your first “official” band, any thoughts on maybe playing some doom metal one more time or that is just a distant memory, I mean would you like or have given any thought on putting some side project that will just play doom… do you have a project like that now?
Paul Speckmann: No projects at the moment. Again, Warcry had its place and time, but this was 1982. Let Sleeping Dogs Lie!!!!!

CR: To continue with that bio (like I said very informative!) it mentions and states things like the effect or influence Death Strike had on the underground movement of the time, claiming to have inspired bands like Napalm Death, Terrorizer and the whole grindcore sound, as well as the effect it could have had on the punk scene of that time because of the particular sound the demo "Fuckin' Death"; it also states that you had a huge part in the development of the death metal vocal sound… with all this info and such a rich and proud past, why do you think Master is overlooked by so many media? Was it that Master was never properly promoted or I’m just looking in the wrong places to find the proper recognition that is giving to Master?
Paul Speckmann: Master was overlooked out of jealousy. There is and was nothing like the original. And Napalm Death singer Barney Greenway has stated over and over that his biggest influences were Speckmann and Kam Lee. He wrote this, not me. I was actually thankful that Napalm covered the song Master on the, “Leaders Not Followers Part Two,” a few years ago. The song Terrorizer is a song from the first demo, and Jesse from Napalm told me himself that the band got the name from the demo. RIP Jesse!!!! Also the magazine got the name as well. Terrorizer is a name and a song written by original drummer Bill Schmidt in 1983. So the truth speaks for itself. This is water under the bridge today. Benediction told me they played the song Terrorizer as their opener for the first year of their career. Hell, Bill Steer from Carcass wrote me letters when he was in Napalm talking about his new band called Carcass. In the early days tape trading was very popular and even the Swedish Scene was influenced by Master and Death in the early days. This is a fact. I actually read about this in a new book about the Swedish Scene with a forward by Chris Reifert. We all know each other believe me.
Of course I have too say that I have nothing but the utmost respect for all the bands and people I have mentioned.

	Pic courtesy of: Master "Master was overlooked out of jealousy. There is and was nothing like the original. And Napalm Death singer Barney Greenway has stated over and over that his biggest influences were Speckmann and Kam Lee"

CR: One of the things that seems so familiar were the problems between you and Schmidt on the early days of Master, you know the whole musicians getting on each others nerves! Do you think now looking back at the situation that if it haven’t been for those problems that lead to the break up of Master in 86 the band would have reached a predominate place in metal, like Metallica or Death did?
Paul Speckmann: Of course, but Schmidt was an insecure person. Depression was his biggest problem. The guy was afraid of his own shadow. Even today he lives in a practice room or with his mother on occasion and dreams of success. He was a really talented writer and performer, but he just didn’t have the power or belief in himself to succeed. I was recently contacted by the original guitarist, Chris Mittelbrun, and he said we should get together and write a new, proper album, as he calls it. We’ll see. Chris was also a killer writer,” Re-Entry and Destruction.” But, again, he didn’t have the drive to continue. He was more interested in his latest female conquest. Chris and I wrote the Deathstrike demo together, and this was really the beginning of the genre as we knew it.

CR: In a more personal question, and I’m sorry if it is too personal, but the death of your father seem to have affected you very much (like it will affect us all I guess) but how did his death influenced the way you approached your music from that point on?
Paul Speckmann: Maybe in some ways, but my biggest influences were life, death, politics and GBH, as well as The Exploited, DRI, Minor Threat, Discharge and MDC.

CR: In one interview you said this “Nuclear Blast was greedy and made a killing from me in the early years. Then they wisely invested their capitol in many Master imitator's who had great success” who were those imitators? And what’s the difference between been inspired by a band and imitate a band?
Paul Speckmann: Who cares, they know who they are. It’s obvious the bands that signed to the label after we did. Master was inspired by PUNK Rock, and many of the early bands just copied us. That’s crap.

CR: During the early years of Death Strike, was it true that Kerrang and Metal Forces called the band a Slayer rip-off?
Paul Speckmann: Actually this was the Master demo, and yes this is true.

CR: You got a book out “Speckmann Surviving The Underground” have you lost any friends thanks to that publication, I heard it contains some pretty hard words towards the scene back when you were starting out?
Paul Speckmann: The book has never been released yet, but one day it will.

CR: What do you think of sub genre’s of metal like Porno grindcore, or Gore Metal?
Paul Speckmann: This is great for some. If you believe in the music and it comes from your soul, then it must be good. I am not judge nor jury, I am just Paul

CR: Reading other interviews, and the many facts that you give about the history of Master and your own development and experiences on the scene, it can be mistaken by many that your personality is quite unforgiving and self centered; what do you have to say about that, is it a misconception of your personality?
Paul Speckmann: Total bullshit. I am not self-centered. This is a misconception developed by the media. I just believe in speaking the truth and people don’t want to know the truth. They would rather be lied too. Actually this is a statement from a writer from RockHard. He said that the staff always hated the fact that I spoke the truth, but even today, they interview me for every record. I won’t be silenced. As for the former members of Master, their expectations were always so high and unrealistic. Master has and always will be in the underground. I refuse to sell out.

CR: For some reason and maybe I’m wrong here but lately, in the past 3 years lest say, thrash metal has been “motivating” labels to promote the genre one more time, what was melodic death metal in the early 2000 is now thrash, every were I look there is some young outfit playing some old school thrash (and some are very impressive.. check Evile from England for example) do you think this is just part of a normal cycle of promotion = sales or is it really a revival of thrash going on around the world? Do you think we can expect a “revival” in the promotion of old school death metal anytime soon?
Paul Speckmann: This is an observation. I believe these genre’s have always and will always be in existence and we will continue to persevere. The labels really don’t make the band. It’s a struggle. Protest and Survive!!!!!!!

CR: Well Paul, thank you so much for your time, it is our pleasure to have you on, and please if you are still not too tired from all those questions and will like to add something else please do!
Paul Speckmann: Yes, go out and buy Slaves To Society. You will not be disappointed. This record is filled with real music not silly fantasy. If you want fantasy, read a book, or watch a movie.