Interview with EXPOSICUM

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After 3 years of preparation, our well-known thrash metal band爆浆 (EXPLOSICUM) will release a new full length album《立文的交易》（Living's Deal）.

 

This new album continues the concept of leading role “Living”, the music style is still fast and blast thrash metal. There is new breakthrough in technique, recording and production. New album has NO compromise, NO soft side! It shows the speed and strength that EXPLOSICUM has never before! It includes 9 tracks. The cover art is still by our old friend, metalhead Uncle 3, famous cover artist in Chinese metal scene.
 

 

Before the release of new album, we conducted an interview with EXPLOSICUM to know their recent status and to discuss their new release.

 

The first question, who in hell is “立文”(Living) ? Rumors said he is band’s Technician, some said he was a drummer, is he your band member?
 

 Jiang: We have a friend name Living, this name is related with a Hong Kong singer and also an actor ( Editor’s note: 单立文(Pal Sinn)，famous bassist during early 80’s in Hong Kong rock scene. Then he became an actor who ever acted in many classic movies like 《聊斋艳谭》(Erotic Ghost Story)，《赌侠》(God of Gamblers II)，《金瓶风月》(Golden Lotus)，《水浒传之英雄本色》(All Men Are Brothers – Blood Of The Leopard), his most roles are villains). “Living” is a legend at underground of Nanchang( the capital of Jiangxi Province in southeastern China), who is easy-going and also angry, he left Nanchang in late 2013, “Living’s Anger” is also commemorating him.

Qiu: (Living) has never been a band member. I cannot tell you his real name without his agreement [giggle]. I was told the nickname was called by myself, but I have no impression why I made this meaningless word, at least the name has already existed over ten years. After that somehow everybody called him Living, then he just accepted it passively.

 

New album’s topic is still about Living, does it mean there is any continuation of the creation concept? Will it follow this topic in the future?

 Jiang: The word Living means “alive” which expresses our attitude of the life, it also matches the creation concept. The topic in the future is still unknown.

 

 

In the interview after last album released, you mentioned the future creation will improve the speed and stability, this time do you realize it?

Jiang: I’m satisfied with the speed and quality of new album, except my own performance skills. In my opinion the final goal is to produce an album to rush out of China toward the world and to head to the Belt and Road with the confidence of our system in order to satisfy myself and people.

 

Compared with former albums, what are the main changes of Living’s Deal?

Jiang: First of all, obviously the width of speed is more, several songs keep normal, others are faster. Riffs have also more pressure; I feel guitarist’s performance is more remarkable. On the other side, to answer some criticism and to satisfy their demand, bass voice becomes louder. For sure, there are some criticisms we could not accept such as adding some acoustic guitar.

 

Summer 2017, teaser during new album recording

 

How about the new album recording? Are there any difficult problems to overcome?

 Jiang: Before recording, the Iron Age live house was just forced to close, Jiang Nan recording studio moved, both of them caused some trouble, anyway finally it settled. Because Jiang Nan moved to a temporary place, we found another place to record drum part which is ARG studio in our thank you list. The other parts were still recorded in Jiang Nan studio. Production Sound and  post-production are responsible by Lao Qiu, here we will specially thankful for ARG engineer Ou Ning and the helps from other staffs during drum recording.

 

Does Teacher Qiu do more recording and post-production for some bands?

 Jiang: What I know is a Solo guitar debut by our band lead guitar Xiao Kai, and his other band ChuDaXi ( a rock band based on Nan Chang local culture, name sounds like touch-big-happy)’s first album, both of them will release soon.

 

Jiang: What I know is a Solo guitar debut by our band lead guitar Xiao Kai, and his other band ChuDaXi ( a rock band based on Nan Chang local culture, name sounds like touch-big-happy)’s first album, both of them will release.

U3 (cover artist Uncle3, abb: U3): Two album covers have totally different concept, Raging Living is a bit straight, which reflects the conflict, new one is close to the “VulgarNaughtyfaRadicalSilly” image of EXPLOSICUM, so this one is different with the other “Standardized” retro thrash cover, it’s more like humorous, absurd style.

 

What are the metaphors hidden in this cover? Who are these three people? What the caps they wear mean?

U3: It seems that the cover of Living’s Deal is more like a politic cartoon, three politicians use saw split the “Earth cake”. Money and sieve make it like a gambling, a game. The “red yellow blue” colorful caps predicted violent cases happened in modern society, it also expresses my desire for human justice. The knowledge in this painting is huge, I have to stop here. If we use poetry, master Westlander ( an online music reviewer) could write three books.

 

Which material you use for this painting?

 U3: Acrylic Paint, a standard material and standard painting method for old school metal cover.

 

Do you find any new amazing local bands? Recommend some for us.

Jiang: 肿瘤男孩（TUMOURBOY, another Chinese thrash metal band）,but they have matured, so they shouldn’t count a new band. There is other Hong Kong band 惨惨猪（CHARMCHARMCHU）,I really like them, I hope they get more chance to tour to the north.

 

You think what is missing the most in China thrash metal scene.

Jiang: Revolution will not be successful without support from crowds.

 

Former address of the Iron Age live house, photo from the Iron Age official weibo

 

The Iron Age has moved to the new place, what is the old one for?

Jiang: It is still there, it will reconstruct to Iron Age’s ARG recording studio, there will be another room underground for rehearsal.

 

Bands from Guang Zhou, Wu Han, Nan Chang, Hong Kong gathered at 2017 Southrash Fest.

 

The second Southrash Fest is held at the Iron Age in autumn, will it happen next year? What is the plan in the future?

 Jiang: This festival is mainly organized by Nan Chang Metalhead “翠柏”(: Cuibai, green pines), let him talk about it. I’m really happy to meet lots of old friends every time, I hope it will keep going on, and I’m waiting for the next year.

Cuibai: Haha, yeah, it is South Thrash Metal Festival -- Southrash Fest. First one happened in 2016, the lineup includes CHARMCHARMCHU,霍乱(CHOLERAIC),决裂(RUPTURE),凶星(ALCOR), and EXPLOSICUM, around 60 fans were there. This year is the second one, the lineup includes TUMOURBOY, 有毒废料(TOXIC WASTES)、六角之火(HEXFIRE),CHOLERAIC,EXPLOSICUM, we also invited extreme punk band 地三鲜(DISANXIAN), this year there are around 100 festival goers, almost half of them come from other provinces. The shows are typical thrash metal shows, full of moshes and chaos. The festival is recorded at the same time, now CD version is being prepared, which also includes a pop metal band whose band members have good looking, girls like this. If everything goes well, the third one will hold next year, we might invite bands from other Asian countries, we even plan to make it happen at periphery cities.

 

EXPLOSICUM Live show at Taiwan in 2014

 

EXPLOSICUM Live show at Japan in 2015

 

Next step there is a Southeast Asia tour planned, and EXPLOSICUM is also invited for 330 Festival 2018, any other tour plans?

 Jiang:  Our longtime friend from Thai invite us to Vientiane, we are pleasure for meeting old friends and also know some new friends. We are also honored to 330 again if we get chance. As for the other concerts or tours, they’re looking for our band leader directly, we always listen to the party and follow the leader.

 

Do you have something to tell the fans for the future?

 Jiang: If there are fans I wanna tell them, Living’s Deal CD version will release by ADP, Vinyl by SHR. I hope everyone can support it, it’s worth getting one. Thank you.

Qiu: I just hope there is a bunch of people like our music, and they remain relatively stable. They can feel happiness with our music, and then it will make us happy, that’s enough.