UN: I know that this question is entirly far too overused, but I know very little about the beginnings of Vehemence. Introduce the members, and give us a history for the band.

Vehemence: Well the idea of Vehemence began in 1995. Back then it was just Nathan (our vocalist) and Scott Wiegand on guitar. I met up with those guys later that year in high school. We all had a common interest in trying to put a death metal band together, so I joined with them. Together, we wrote our first song, "Banished To Infinity". We worked as a 3 piece, just writing music... But we still needed a drummer and bassist! Luckily in 1997 we found Mark and Andy. Now that we were a complete band, we worked on more new music and released our first demo in 1998. It fuckin sucked, but by 1999 we recorded a CD, entitled "The Thoughts From Which I Hide". Scott our original guitarist quit in January 2000, and John Chavez quickly joined the band. Self released and promoted, The Thoughts From Which I Hide was released in August 2000. John (guitars) also booked our own tour in 2001. Shortly after, Metalblade came into the picture...

UN: How did the deal with Metal Blade come about? Were you surprised that they were interested in the band? Are you guys honoured to be on a label that has been home to many of the best bands the metal genre has to offer?

Vehemence: Fuck yeah man! We were all excited to be part of the Metalblade family. So many bands that we grew up on were on that label, so obiviously it was an honor. To tell you the truth, it seems like the Metalblade deal came out of nowhere. We knew a couple people that knew Brian Slagel (CEO of Metalblade) and that definately helped. We then talked to Slagel on the phone a few times, and by email. Then he made the trip down to Phoenix, Arizona. He came to our practice, we played a few songs, and the rest is history!

UN: Are you guys pleased with how God Was Created turned out? I think it's easily one of the best death metal albums I have heard in quite some time. How has the response been so far?

Vehemence: We are all very proud of God Was Created. Of course there are a few things I can nit-pick at, but I wont complain. So far, the response has been great! We get emails and letters from people all over the world that appreciate our music. I'ts very rewarding to all of us.

UN: Being on a bigger label, did you guys feel any added pressure when you were writing and recording God Was Created? Do you feel like you have surpassed all expectations?

Vehemence: Well, we didn't feel any pressure to write. We already had an album's worth of material ready before we signed with Metalblade. As for the recording process, maybe there was a little bit of pressure. Mainly concerning our recording budget. We just were worried that we might go over budget, which we did. That wasn't completely our fault though. The studio we used didn't seem too familiar with mixing death metal style music, so Metalblade suggested Juan Urteaga and Trident Studios. Thats were the final mixing and mastering took place.

UN: I've read that God Was Created was a concept album. Can you tell us what the concept is and the story involved? I'm definitely assuming it has something to do with Christianity.

Vehemence: The story involves many characters... 1. The girl who is sexually abused by her father, and has a sick obsession with Jesus
2. The girl's father who rapes her, but shes still a virgin. ( he only fucks her in her mouth and her ass)
3. The obsessed stalker who later kills the girl and the father. Oh yeah, he believes he is Jesus at times too.
4. The obsessed stalker's parents - father a veteran, and a mother who paid him no attention
5. Of course how can I foget good ole' J.C.!!! W.W.J.D. if he read this shit!
All these elements make for one fucked up story. It's much more than just hating on Christ - a lot of the lyrics can have multiple meanings, and the overall moral of the story is that God Was Created, and you should believe in yourself, to be your own savior.

UN: If I'm not mistaken your new album features the debut of Evil Dave's artwork. How did you come into contact with him? Are you guys friends? I think his art definitely has a bit of a Zig feel, but it definitely has an original feel to it as well.

Vehemence: He's a friend of the band, and lives in Phoenix. He's a tattoo artist here in town, specializing in the "darker" artwork. He actually is friends with Zig, so there is a connection there. He also did Nathan's tattoos, as well as Martin from Cradle Of Filth.

UN: The only thing I have heard from you guys is God Was Created, did you release any other albums or demos? Are any of them still available?

Vehemence: The Thoughts From Which I Hide, our self released CD recorded in '99 is still available, directly from us. You can get it at shows, or from our website http://vehemence.brutaldeath.net

UN: Does it bother you at all that there is a Parental Advisory warning on the front cover of your cd? I don't think you really have to worry about a 10 year old ending up with the cd in it's hands. Was it the bands decision to put the label on? Or were you guys forced to have it on there?

Vehemence: Metal Blade put that label on there, and it doesn't bother any of us. I think it's definately appropriate to say the least! I wouldn't want any of my kids reading this shit!

UN: Now that you have an album out on a larger label are you looking forward to going out on bigger tours? Do you have any tours planned for the rest of this year? Is touring important to you guys? It seems to be one of the best ways to get your name out there.

Vehemence: Fuck yeah, we can't wait to go on tour again! We have some shit still pending, like a couple US tours in the works.. But nothing at the moment is confirmed. We'd love to get out to Europe sometime next year too!

UN: While your music is definitely rooted in the death metal genre, you explore a lot of sounds that few death metal bands usually experiement with. Was it a concious decision to try and make varied music? Or does it just happen to come out the way that it does?

Vehemence: We all appreciate lots of different music, and that is what influences us to experiment with different sounds. It's not something we planned on, it's just the way things turned out.

UN: This question goes along with the last one, your music definitely could appeal to more then just fans of death metal. Have you noticed people into other types of metal being into your music? Is that even something you think about? Trying to be appealing to more then one type of fan?

Vehemence: We would like to reach as many people as possible with our music. Reaching outside the death metal genre is something we would like to do eventually. I'd love to tour with other styles of music, just for the exposure. Anybody who likes our music is appreciated. We do what we like and what we are comfortable with. We know our boundaries, and we won't stray too far from our roots.

UN: While I don't hear many influences from outside of any of the many metal sub-genres, do you guys listen to any styles of music outside of metal? Anything that would shock the fans of death metal that would rather die then listen to something other then brutality?

Vehemence: We all pretty much listen to music outside extreme metal. Nate is into shit like Jethro Tull and Radiohead, Mark likes shit like Primus, Andy likes Alien Ant Farm (hahahaha), Jason and John like strictly metal as far as I know, I like shit like Sunny Day Real Estate and ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead.

UN: What are your thoughts on the current underground scene? I think that there are a lot of killer bands around right now, and more are popping up seemingly every day. Would you say it's a good time to be invovled with the underground scene? Also, how did you first get into the underground scene?

Vehemence: There are definately a shit load of talented bands in the underground. It sucks when great bands don't recieve the attention they deserve. Any time is as good as now to be involved in the underground scene. It takes hard work, and patience. And no pay, hehe but if it is something you feel strongly about, then I say pursue it 100%.

UN: Thanks a lot for taking the time to do this, let everyone know how they can get in touch with you and feel free to list what merchandise you have available.

Vehemence: Ok, best way to reach us is by email at vehemence@brutaldeath.net. Our website is http://vehemence.brutaldeath.net. As far as merchandises goes, we sell shirts, transfer stickers, and our first CD through our website. Our Metalblade release, "God Was Created" is available at major record store chains, and mail order. Thanks!!!