JEFF: It's known locally as Stow, Ohio. "Suburban Hell" would be more accurate. Actually, it ain't all that bad. Not only is Stow the childhood home of Lux Interior of The Cramps, but it's nestled comfortably in between Cleveland and Akron which means no shortage of things to do.
ALAN: We are the spawn of Shub-Niggurath, the Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young.
2. Did you get the name Abdullah from the wrassler Abdullah the Butcher?
JEFF: He heard our first demo and insisted that we name the band after him. I wasn't about to argue with the madman from Sudan. I'd like to state for the record that our name is in no way influenced by Crowley's "The Scented Garden of Abdullah."
3. What possessed you to create music of a slow and heavy nature, and to have a somewhat pagan image?
JEFF: Most of the bands I'm into seem to prefer momentum deprivation to speed, funkiness or block-rockin' beats, so I guess their influence rubbed off on me. I've also always been a fan of 60's and 70's hard rock and psychedelia. Suffice it to say, I think that we wear these influences on our sleeves. As far as the pagan imagery goes, I prefer the dark and folklorish when it comes to art and lyricism. Most of my favorite artists are 14th century woodcutters like Albrecht Duhrer, and on the literary side I like guys like William Blake who explore the darker aspects of religion and society.
ALAN: Slow and heavy just seemed natural at the time. Personally, I think the "fast" scene has been a bit crowded for some time now and I want to do something to help balance it out. Besides, I've got Black Sabbath in my blood and they were the originators of slow and heavy.
4. What significance are the pictures on the cover and inside of the Snake Lore cover?
JEFF: I wanted the accompanying art of our cd to echo the themes of isolation and despair that recur in our music. I also like the sort of "backwoods" feel it gives to the cd.
ALAN: They contain subliminal images. If you find yourself craving Abdullah, taking strange drugs, and doing weird things, you might have been staring at the art work too much.
5. What was the first demo like and why don't you send it out anymore? It got a good review in Metal Maniacs.
JEFF: Actually the demo that was reviewed in Metal Maniacs was our third demo. I think it's a good effort, but pretty raw and primal when compared to our newer stuff. I'll send it out if someone specifically asks for it, but I'd rather have new listeners hear our latest material. That last demo hearkens back to an earlier stage of our development which doesn't properly represent our sound.
6. Does Alan Seibert still play guitar for Abdullah?
ALAN: Yes.
7. Are You looking for people to fill out spots so Abdullah can play shows and tour?
ALAN: We'd like to find a bassist and a drummer. Right now we're concentrating on songs and recording and we hope to attract some dedicated people this way. It's very hard to find the right people. You've got to find the right balance of creativity, talent, and determination. And there's such a small pool of musicians that are into our type of music around here. I was thinking of giving Bill Ward a call but he's getting pretty old.
8. Do you consider Snake Lore to be your first release or something to send to record labels? If someone wanted would you put songs from Snake Lore on a 7" or comp?
JEFF: I'd say that Snake Lore is a glorified demo... or maybe a quasi-release. I mean, it's definitely a demo in the fact that it's only a CD-R and we didn't go into a studio to record it, but we also put a little more thought into the production and flow of it than you'd normally hear on most demos. We are planning on having our next release be "official." After four demos, I'd say it's about time.
ALAN: Actually, we're supposed to have two songs from Snake Lore come out on a comp in early 2000 already. Check our web page at http://web.raex.com/~aseibert/abdullah.htm for updates on that.
9. To me Abdullah gives off a religious, emotional feel. Not holy in a good way but not overtly satanic or evil. Will these themes and lyrical content continue or is Abdullah gonna turn more satanic or go into a stoner rock vibe?
JEFF: I'm definitely not into organized religion as it exists in our society, but I do like to explore themes in my lyrics that have a spiritual or supernatural tinge. There are definitely forces of both good and evil at work in this world, and one could definitely not exist without the other. That's why our lyrics don't focus on a particular aspect of human nature or spirituality. It's a dichotomy.
I don't consider myself to be christian, and since satanism is a faction of christianity, Abdullah definitely won't be catering to the Dark Lord any time soon. Hopefully, our music and lyrics will constantly evolve to higher astral plains. I'd never want Abdullah to become stagnant or predictable.
10. Do you worship at the altar of Black Sabbath?
JEFF: Absolutely. Anyone who does not is suspect in my book.
ALAN: I'm planning on building an altar to Black Sabbath in my basement. I'm kicking myself that I didn't buy that holy water blessed by Ozzy at Ozzfest.
11. Smoke alotta pot?
JEFF: Naw... it makes me too paranoid. I prefer alcohol and crack.
12. What have you been listening to lately?
JEFF: Some recent spins include Sam Gopal, Rose Tattoo, Pussy Galore, Electric Eels, Hawkwind, Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments and Boulder. I go through a lot of phases, and recently I've seemed to latch onto a lot of art damaged rock. Don't ask.
ALAN: I've just discovered Wino so I've been listening to a bunch of Obsessed, Spirit Caravan, and Saint Vitus. I spun about 4 Hawkwind cds last night when I was in a space rock mood.
13. I got this sticker from a band called Clearlight. Have you ever heard of them?
ALAN: No, can't say that I have.
14. That thing after "The Black Ones"... is that your doing? It sounds cool. It reminds me of the Doors or old sci-fi movie music.
JEFF: Yeah... we did all the soundscapes by ourselves. I took various sound-bites and textures, layered them, and then recycled 'em through an effects processor. We plan on adding more like them on our later recordings.
ALAN: We made that particular piece by inscribing a pentagram on the floor with human blood, putting black candles at the five points, and incanting the blasphemous words of the old ones. Then we just used a mic from Radio Shack to capture the howls of the demons. Pretty simple actually.
15. Are you into the Ohio Death Metal Scene at all?
JEFF: Not really. Hemdale were pretty cool, but I rarely listen to Death Metal these days. Black Metal is another story altogether. I dig that raw, underproduced Norwegian stuff (sans the racism).
16. Besides the demos what else do ya got for people to buy? What does the future hold in the way of tapes, CDs, and vinyl for Abdullah?
ALAN: There's the aforementioned comp coming out early next year. We'll probably do a vinyl release before too long and we're looking for a deal to put out a full length cd. We've also had several requests for t-shirts, so we'll probably have some available before too long.
17. Are you a vinyl man or does it even matter what format the music you make or the music you listen to is even on?
JEFF: For the most part, I prefer vinyl to any other format. Most of the music I'm into seems to have a warmer and louder sound on an LP. I like the pops of an old record, too. Call me nostalgic. However, that's not to say that I'm against the digital format. CD's are definitely more accessible and easier to handle. I do want a record player for my car, though.
ALAN: I like vinyl primarily for the large cover art and the greater possibilities for cool packaging. Also, you can still find some good stuff cheap in second hand stores. But I do prefer cds for day to day listening. They beat vinyl in almost every catagory I think.
18. Is there anything you wanna add that we didn't cover in the last 17 questions?
JEFF: Yeah. Support underground music and give unsigned bands a chance. Even in today's day and age of 50,000 indie labels, it's still hard to get signed on talent and originality alone. A lot of people into a particular genre of music seem to focus all of their attention on the quote-unquote established bands and turn a blind eye on those of us that are less fortunate (or deviate in any way, shape or form from the accepted "norm" of a particular genre). Boycott cell phones, pagers and coffee houses. They are the tools of the devil.
Thanks for the interview, Arty!