Ab Erebo:Was it easy to run Sarcofago and Blasphemy's fan clubs back in their beginning?
Tell me a bit about their creation. Is there any activity connected to this now?
Ludo: OK! I was in great contact with Wagner from Sarcofago before their first album, INRI,
and with this long and great friendship I decided to start Sarcofago's fan club. The fan club was
a godly thing for me, And I received tons of letters, tapes, etc. For Blasphemy, when I listened
to their demo for the first time, I said 'The most brutal band of this fuckin' planet!!'. After,
I started good contact with Gerry "Black Winds" and traded with him tons of tapes, videos, etc.,
and I started the fan club. I sold many vinyls of Fallen Angel of Doom, T-Shirts, demo tapes, etc.
I stopped the fan club when Gerry left the band and also when Osmose put out their second album.
But to do those two fan clubs was an honour for me!
Which were the pre-Evil Omen Records activities which were developing your support of the
underground? I think you released some compilation tapes...
Yes, with my compilation tapes Infernal Diatribes, I received tons of letters and during some
years I distributed many different opus. The last opus has been selling to 400 copies (double
90-minutes tape). Since this compilation was very well appreciated, I decided to create Evil
Omen with a great friend, and the first CD was Vociferious and Machiavelian Hate compilation
with four bands (15 songs mixed altogether by intros created and mixed by me). Vociferious has
been selling to 1800 copies.
I'm sure each of your releases count on a couple of happenings. Could you outline the
peculiarities of each of them?
Mythos signed a deal just after the Vociferious CD, but the album Pain Amplifier has been a
great deception --not for the music, but for the response, and I lost tons of money. Demoniac
signed for one album and decided to sign a new deal for Stormblade (new album, out now!). I love
Demoniac and Behemoth is like a brother to me. Enthroned was on After Dark Records but the label
stopped their activities and Enthroned called me and signed for one album. Now they are on
Blackened Records for three albums --maybe celebrity for them. The bad news was Cernunnos' Death
this year. Now three new bands are on Evil Omen: Conqueror, Majestic Midnight and Decayed.
Have you put yourself into trouble because of financial problems as to any of your
releases?
Oh yes! Like I said before, I lost money with Mythos' CD because the CD release was expensive
(all in colors, etc.) and I printed many CDs (now remain more than 1000 CDs unsold). I broke
during this period two deals with Acheron (USA) for financial problems. I sold many CDs but
distributors are not really fast for paying, excepted SPV, Plastic Head, House of Kicks and
Osmose.
Majestic Midnight talked shit about their deal with Evil Omen Records/ Osmose Productions in
each interview I read.
Firstly Evil Omen is a label and isn't connected to Osmose Productions; Osmose distribute my
CDs, etc., but I decide by myself what bands I want signed. About Majestic Midnight, I don't
understand their bad words, because the problem comes from them --they recorded the album for a
first time, I find the recording not bad but not great, they return in studio to mix it again,
some time after they call me and say "we want to record the album again", I said "OK", I receive
the new recording, a really bad recording, I said "no!!" and now the guitar player left the band,
etc. I like their music but there is much problem for now!! And I don't want to pay 6,000 dollars
to record again something with bad sound!!
Also, I can remember that Singapore's band Itnos were very disappointed with your behaviour.
What happened?
For Itnos, this is an old story, at the time of Vociferious CD. Many bands were interesting
for being on Vociferious, more than 10 bands for only 4 place!! Impossible to put them all!
Since the compilation tapes, the Machiavellian CD or the Fallen Christ CD, you proved to be
quite interested in hellish, ambient noise. Which other things have you done in that
way?
It is true that I released all intros and mixes on Vociferious, also the strange
apocalyptical final for Fallen Christ. I do too intro album for Luciferion (they mixed with my
intor a classical music part! --I don't appreciate this bad mix). I released too introduction
for Enthroned show, but they don't understand my feeling, I think!! Ah ah ah!! I do some intros
for demo tapes, and of course I do some intros and final for Demoniac 'Prepare for War' album,
'Stormblade' final song intro (except voices by Demoniac), and on Conqueror 'War Cult Supremacy'
album I do break in a song and final. Maybe I do other intros for Decayed 'The Book of Darkness',
etc.
Give me a bit of history about Melek-Tha, please.
Melek-Tha was my dream, now the nightmare exists!! Melek-Tha was born, and the first album
'Astrum Argentinum' is out! I created Melek-Tha like a non music sense at the beginning, but
people appreciate this kind of music: dark, oppressant, ritual, apocalyptical!! Of course some
disastrous reviews have been written, but these guys don't understand the spirit of the music,
they aren't open minded, only typcial hard-rocker! If you like extreme music, you must like all
forms of extreme music!! They find Mortiis great and Melek-Tha shitty?? Strange! Mortiis play
for girls! Well actually two new Melek-Tha album are recorded: 'De magia naturali daemoniaca'
and 'Post Nuclear Race', and I work on 'Hell on Earth'. Labels interested in my music, contact
me for a deal! (Ophth: Melek-Tha have been signed to Cold Spring Record for one or two releases...)
How is Melek-Tha doing on Adipocere Records?
Adipocere Records is a label who try to diversify their productions! And for this reason
Christian, the boss, signed Melek-Tha! I don't know if he likes really, but he has been the first
to do an album like this in France!
I guess you're planning new releases for the next future of Evil Omen Records. Which unsigned
bands would git into your label right now?
Conqueror come from Canada and play bestial death metal. Ryan is a true fan of Blasphemy,
Sarcófago, etc., and old friend of mine. Be sure Conqueror is extreme!! And kill of fuckin'
trendy!! Majestic Midnight play great black metal with synthesizer parts --great music. Now, the
well-known Decayed from Portugal are on my label!! I like their true black metal with the best
influences of the 80s. 'The Book of Darkness' will be the first one on Evil Omen. I am also
interested by First Born Evil and many other bands (I keep the secret, ah ah!!).
That's it Ludo, thanks for your time and have a nice day!
Well, many thanks, Juan, for this interview. Readers, sorry for bad English, but I stopped
school there is long time now, and I am too old to return in school. Support real underground
scene, kill all bastards who do black or other extreme music to be popular and not for pleasure!
Be yourself and keep the flame high. Evil Omen Records is a label for passion, not for money.
Support me like I supported the scene during more than 13 years now!! Melek-Tha is your
nightmare. Available at my address:
Mythos 'Pain Amplifier' CD, 12USD;
Demoniac 'Prepare for War' CD, 16USD;
Demoniac 'Stormblade' digipak CD, 18USD;
Enthroned 'Prophecies of Pagan Fire' CD, 16USD;
Melek-Tha 'Astrum Argentinum' CD, 16USD;
Look for Conqueror debut album for end of September (free poster for first 1000 CDs).
EVIL OMEN RECORDS
31, rue de Longpré
62152 NESLES
FRANCE
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