SPEEDKOBRA (INTERVIEW)

So, when did you guys start as a band? How did you all meet?

Speedkobra was born in Berlin in late 2015 from the ashes of Suburban Uproar and Hangover Generation. Sandro (Lead guitar), Nick (rhythmic guitar), Fede (drums) and Moro (bass) started to Jam some new riffs and experiment some new sounds together and few months later Gaspare (Vocals) joined us and completed the first line up.
In 2017 we lost our friend Nick and we tried to continue as a 4 man line up. In 2018 Rappo joined us as second guitar.

I was so sorry about the loss of one of your members and you all have my sympathies. Some bands might break up after something like this, what kept you going and kept you together?

The thing that kept us going was that, before being  a band, we are a bunch of friends, a family; some of us know each other for more than 10 years, we were also living together and the music was (and still is!), as Nick always said, the cure for this messy life.

Speedkobra with Nick.

Individually, what would be your main influences as musicians?

Gaspare main influences are Tragedy, Disfear, At the Gates, Sepultura and Brutal Truth. Moro likes Hellshock, Skaven and japanise crust/Metal punk bands like Effigy, G.I.S.M. and A.G.E.
Sandro like stuff like Pantera, Aus-Rotten. Fede influences come from exploited,  broken bones and the uk punk scene of the 80’s. Rappo like Bolthrower and entombed. All of us are really bonded with the Italian 80’ hc punk scene BUT we generally listen to all kind of underground fom punk to hip hop.


The split LP with Stront was released in 2017 (which really doesn’t seem that fucking long ago JESUS). Since then, your sound has changed quite a lot, it seems more directed, more focused. Was your approach to writing ‘Days of Madness’ any different? 

Losing a member with a big "punk" influence as Nick, made Sandro the only guitarist for a while, and his metal influences went way much more important. With the addition of Rappo and his metal/grind background we turned even more in that direction.
Days of Madness is an album that has different souls inside,  songs that Nick created with us, some we made in the four member formation, and some with Rappo.

Where did you record ‘Days of Madness’? How did the recording process go?

The album was completely tracked in our rehearsal room by Rappo and Moro, mixed by our friend Steve and the Mastered by Deadair Studio.
It has been a long process since we had many problems with our Hardware (we even  burned a Mac in the process ahah), but for the first experience as self-recorder and we are pretty satisfied about the final work.

Days of Madness LP cover. Artwork by Eduard Proskurin.

What gear do you all play with live? Did you use anything different when you recorded?

Sandro plays a ENGL thunder, Rappo a Quilter Overdrive 200 and Moro a Orange TB500
The Guitars in the album were recorded using a Marshall Plexi kindly borrowed to us by Indian Nightmare who we are sharing the rehearsal room with.

If you HAD to pick a favourite song (or two…) from the latest album, what would it be?

Our favourite song are definitely Dehumanized and 10 Days of Madness. 10 Days of Madness is  also the song that gave the name to the album and talk about what happened during our first tour. That’s a funny one.


When the whole COVID-19 finally fucks off, do you have any plans to tour this year?

We were already planning something, but the situation put us on standby. We are using this time to compose new stuff, prepare some new merch, and getting ready for (better) times.

You can never have too many guitars.

Favourite show and why?

It's difficult to pick up just one, when mostly every time we play something crazy happens!
When there is a good vibe in front of us, we feel it  for sure!

As a touring band, you always learn from being on the road. Give us your top tips for surviving tour life!

First off, you need to be patient and independent. Take it easy when bad things happen, and don’t be an asshole with the crew. Don’t waste time on futile things, like taking a shower when it’s not necessary. Declare your farts when you are in the van.
Having a clean driver is a surplus, If you don’t have it, be very careful with alcohol and drugs: Some countries have very strict laws as a lot of you maybe already know it.
For the rest, just go with the flow. Try to have as much fun as possible, every tour could be the last one.

Tour life.

You can buy Speedkobra's latest release Days of Madness in our webshop here.

Speedkobra Facebook

NEW RELEASE!!! SPEEDKOBRA - DAYS OF MADNESS LP OUT NOW!

German d-beat destroyers Speedkobra return with another crushing full-length release. The band have been busy honing their craft to deliver a blistering album that brings their performance to the next level on all fronts. Packed full of riffs, growls, solos, beats, samples, and noise, this is everything a d-beat lover could wish for.

Available in green, blue, red, and mixed (a selection of various colours where the vinyl has been made from repurposed old vinyls - it's a lucky dip!).

Vinyl porn.

Have a listen and let the dystopia take hold. You can now order a copy online here!

 -CMC

YET ANOTHER RANT ON POSTAGE

I just wanted to write a short post to explain the postage pricing - I swear I could write a thesis on this shit - yes Jonny, POST FACTS. Because this is a not-for-profit label (do you hear that irs/revenue/customs/fbi?) I'm trying to bring people the best options for shipping whilst also making it financially viable to do this. Postage prices are fucking extortionate and have only been on the increase. So, here's the breakdown on pricing that the site will offer outside of the usual standard postage rates:

IRELAND & NORTHERN IRELAND*

• €4 for ALL shipping.
• FREE shipping for orders over €40.

This means that all shipping to Ireland and Northern Ireland will cost either €4 or €0!!

UK & EUROPE

• FREE shipping for orders over €45.

EVERYWHERE ELSE

• FREE shipping for orders over €50.

*For people in Northern Ireland, put through your address as normal. This will initially come up as a UK price which is more expensive, however I will refund you the difference. If you'd like to hear the reasoning behind this, please take a seat and I will explain why...

*deep breath*

Currently, An Post allows for shipping to Northern Ireland at the same rate as within Ireland (we'll see how long that lasts...). However, Shopify does not recognise Northern Ireland as being separate to the United Kingdom in this sense (ohhhh controversial) and so forces shipping rates to Northern Ireland to be the same as across the water to England/Scotland/Wales. So, it basically makes shipping rates unnecessarily more expensive than they already are, which is fucking ridiculous as it is.

I already spoke to them trying to figure out if they can change this/complained/ranted about the post-modern impact of imperialism, but they currently can't accommodate the current socio-economic climate on this beautiful island. The fucks (still using them though).

*exhaleee*

I will say though, that they were as helpful as their system would allow, and I'm currently looking into a better long-term solution for the site. Who knows, maybe I'll fucking solve brexit while I'm at it.

So, that's why the refund policy! Put the order through as if you were in the UK, and I'll refund you the difference (or possibly even ship it from the North unless I get done for fucking smuggling...).

... COULD this be used as evidence against me? In any case, it will be less hassle than it sounds, and cheaper! Also, as always, I'll try to accommodate for punk post. If you don't know what it is, read this.

Any questions, get in touch!

TRADE/WHOLESALE LIST NOW AVAILABLE

First thing I've managed to check off the list is setting up a trade/wholesale list for those of you interested in buying in bulk and all that. Other afflicted souls like myself. You can access it here.

The webshop is in progress and will be up and running soon! We'll also have details on a brand new release....

- CMC

WE'RE BACK

We're finally back, thank fuuuckkk. Things have been really busy with college, working, bands, life etc... and running a label on top of that isn't so easy! Who would have thought that a D.I.Y. label would have been so much fucking work?!

It's been over an entire fucking year since we've had a podcast out hahaha! That's insane. There is quite a lot of work involved with the podcasts; talking with the bands, arranging interviews, acquiring songs, and obviously the recording itself - but it hopefully won't be too long until we have something new out.

We've streamlined the site, which is a nice term for deleting some things that were just too much work. The focus for the moment is getting a functioning web-shop up and running, which is a fairly tedious process but it will happen! So keep ya eye balls peeled. Imagine actually peeling an eyeball though that's fucked.

So thanks for reading, have a look around, enjoy yourself, and listen to some fucking punk.


-CMC

NEW RELEASE!! PAROXYSM - SELF-TITLED LP

Paroxysm play a flat-out fast paced brand of blackened anarcho crust, with metal influences to boot. This tasty LP is available now!

But hey, don't take my word for it:

NEW RELEASE!! STRÖNT/SPEEDKOBRA SPLIT - HUMAN ANNIHILATION LP

Human Annihilation is now available on 7" black vinyl, and limited edition purple vinyl.