Ressuscité à l'occasion d'une compilation testamentaire, REVENANT est de retour sur la scène death underground pour ce qui semble être la dernière fois. Une discussion avec Henry "Henk" Veggian était le minimum qui s'imposait.

VS - Henry, 18 years after the interview for UNITED FORCEs 'zine, you're back answering questions from France. We didn't hear that much from the REVENANT camp after the release of "Prophecies of a dying world". What have you done during all this time ?
Henry - You might have heard more if the French dates on the "Prophecies 1991" tour had not been cancelled. We arrived in Europe with dates booked in France, and then they were mysteriously cancelled. Too bad – I spent some time in France when I was a young boy and I love the country. I always wished we had played there; I remember meeting French people who travelled to see us play in Belgium.

Anyway, I have been busy since the band dissolved in 1995. I returned to the University, and, after nearly a decade of intensive study, I earned a Ph.D. I spend much of my free time writing, translating, etc. If anyone is interested, I translated an extremely violent Italian novel entitled "Diary of a Rapist" into English. It was published by Vivisphere here in the U.S. It's available in paperback.

VS-When I'm reading your bio, I can't see anything about the previous band you had with Jim Plotkin. Aren't you proud of your participation with REGURGITATION ? Have you heard about the demo cd called "Backwash" ?
Henry - Yes, I heard about the CD while I was living in Pittsburgh. Someone has since burned me a copy, and I have to say that the songs are still as stupid and pointless as I remembered them.
Regurgitation was a joke band, but you can hear the influence of some of the bands we listened to at that time. Kreator and Sacrifice are strong influences on the first demo, and you can hear the influence of Septic Death, Wehrmacht, and The Accused on the second demo. It is entirely unoriginal music, but it was important to me because I gained experience in recording. It also placed New Jersey in the underground that was forming at that time. It should have ended, but, as you know, they went on to record under a different name and remind the world that there is no place for humor in this style of music. Joke bands are precisely that - a joke - and jokes always age badly.

VS-When we start talking about this interview, you told me the "Overman" cd had an important impact on several people. Do you think you get Xtreem music interest because of this ? Why did you wait so long before releasing it ?
Henry - We were lazy, drunk, and young. After the band split up the other members of Revenant often told me they loved the songs and that they listened to the tapes. Tim called me when he was recording with Hateplow and asked me for the master tapes, but I did not have them. When I went to pick them up, I learned the studio was changing ownership, and I barely saved them
from destruction. I called Dave Jengo and asked him to burn a copy of the songs on CD, and I listened to them. I was surprised - the material was powerful and it had an atmosphere of doom and desperation. I talked to the other members and we decided to call Erik Rutan
because I heard that he had opened a recording studio in Tampa. I could hear in his voice that he was the right man for the job: he knew the old Revenant sound as well as anyone, and we wanted to help him earn some money. That was in late 2001. Erik did a great job, and we pressed up 300 copies and gave them to friends and old fans. About one year later (late 2002) Liz from Metal Maniacs received a copy, and she reviewed it. She was in the old NY/NJ scene when she was younger and had good memories of seeing Revenant concerts, so she placed a notice in the magazine.
Soon, hundreds of Revenant freaks were writing to us from all over the world. We were completely shocked - it was like a zombie film, and our obscure music was raising the dead.

We heard first from distributors. Dani from Revenge Productions in Germany was first, and then Konqueror in Singapore. They sold some copies for us, and somehow it made its way to Dave at Xtreem. He was coming to the U.S. in the fall of 2004 to meet with Erik Rutan, and he would be in New York. So I met him and his wife in mid-town one day, we had lunch, and we
shook hands. That's how The Burning Ground CD was born - on a dirty corner behind the New York Public Library. Me and the other members are grateful; it's a nice tribute to the old underground, and all the old fans love it. Scott Ruth from Dim Mak/Ripping Corpse talks about the essay I wrote for the booklet every time I see him. He makes it sound like I should win a
Nobel Prize for it!

VS-Then when you find the deal with Xtreem you've started searching some REVENAN T recordings. What have you done with you own tapes and records ? Does it mean you didn't have a great opinion of your old stuff ? That's the same thing with the "Overman" cd
Henry - The original master tapes were scattered like the bones of Osiris. Band members ahad some, studios and record labels had others, etc. Slowly, over several years, we found them and re-assembled the ancient entity for a musical return.

As far as my opinion of the old stuff, I will only say that I am very happy with the material on ''The Burning Ground'' CD, as it represents the band's true sound.
With the exception of one or two tracks, the Nuclear Blast recordings did not represent our sound. Quite simply, The Burning Ground is a heavier CD.

VS-Litterature always had an important impact on your music. Not only the horror literature even if "Prophecies of a dying world" was mostly inspirated by Lovecraft. It was really unusual in early 90's. I've always had the feeling lyrics were as important
Henry - Our imaginations ran away with us at times. Yes, Lovecraft was important, as were some other modern writers, such as Poe, Dunsany, etc. Lovecraft has always attarcted metal bands, from Iron maiden to Metallica, and Morbid Angel and Ripping Corpse. The new Dim Mak record has an excellent Lovecraft-inspired song on it, "Incident at the Temple of Leng," (to which I contributed some backing vocals, I have to admit). I can;t account for his influence, but I can guess. Lovecraft, like Joseph Conrad, found something horrible in things that could not be described, as if language had no place in certain situations. This is certainly an invitation to music, which is largely a non-verbal form.

In any case, Revenant was ultimately a gothic idea, in the classical sense, with all the trappings of haunting, decay, and history. So we took these gothic literary ideas and made them into music, much as Voivod had done with their concepts, only it didn't work as well. You are right when you say we were an unusual band - we did not make music about the usual
subjects, and we tried to engage some more serious subjects than the usual gore and devil worship themes. Whether we were any good at what we did is another matter.

6/ VS-You’re talking about a non-verbal form you've found with Lovecraft and your music but philosophy was also an inspiration source for REVENANT. Philosophy is exactly the opposite. That's the cult of thoughts and words. When you're thinking about the o
Henry - Yes, of course. But without ambition you are nothing. You must try so hard that you risk destroying yourself.
The matter of the verbal vs. non-verbal was central to the our young minds. Both myself and our original bassist John understood that when you make music you are making an incarnation of sorts. There are two types of energy involved. In the first place, the musician gives physical form to mental energy by translating thoughts into phycical movements that produce music. But the musician's body is also translating that energy, with the help of electronic instruments, into sonic energy that is electrically amplified. It is as if the musician were transformed into a dynamo. In heavy metal, that physical energy is a negative, destructive force. And here is the most interesting problem: the music destroys its own energy. This is why the band will never reform, but also why it will never go away: musical energy is not easily destroyed. It has a half-life, like radiation.

VS-With this essay you wrote for the insert of "The Burning ground" you're still in a literature's approach. When you write "We filled our blood with music." it suggests, music was the most important thing at this time. What has changed in this relationsh
Henry-Maybe cinema more than literature. A classic film about New York inspired me to write that essay. It was called the "The Warriors." When the label asked me to write, it was the first image that came to mind – a group of modern nomads, hunted and desperate, seeking justice from the city streets. That film evokes the atmosphere of the old scene in the cities of the U.S.
northeast where all the bands in the scene lived and played. There is also some humor in it, too. By coincidence, Will Rahmer from Mortician and some of his friends founded something called "N.Y.D.M." several decades ago, and talking to him recently he also told me he was inspired by that film. Unfortunately, New York City is no longer the place it was when I was young. It lacks a certain element of danger. As for my relationship to music, listen to my vocals
on the new Dim Mak CD, and you will hear it.

VS-Your vocals still sounds great to me. Why do you have such a bad opinion of your voice… I can hear worse singers every single day (haha). RIPPING CORPSE members have always been close friends but I wonder how they ask you to join DIM MAK in studio for
Henry - I don't have a bad opinion of it at all. I would just say that it took me some time to find the write range and elocution. My vocals were much better on the later recordings: aggressive, but also as emotive as the form will allow. The live recordings are teh ones that baffle me, because I sound like a pure death metal singer on those. It's crazy, bpartly because I don't remember singing that way. It's like I was possessed.
The new Dim Mak CD, Knives of Ice, is without a doubt the best metal album of the year. Everyone should buy it. They are veteran musicians who never stopped making music and they are at the height of the metal fury on that CD. It is really amazing.

They had no reason to force me into the studio. The idea came up when Scott and I were talking one day in the summer before they recorded the CD. He sent me a demo and asked me to sing back-ups. I prepared my voice, rehearsed with Scott, and then he asked me to
sing on a few more songs. I contributed backing vocals to the title track, I sing the Lovecraftian
"Iiiiieeeaaaagh!" chant in "Incident at the Temple of Leng," and I recited some of Crowley's poetry over the end of one track, with some minor changes to the words. It was great to work with them. Revenant and Ripping Corpse played countless concerts together in the old scene and we always talked about working together on music, but this was the first time any of us actually got together in a recording studio. It is a fitting end to my own musical career in the
underground.

VS-The Burning Ground sounds like an ultimate testament from REVENANT but I wanna know if the great feedback you get with this record and this recent experience with DIM MAK had some impact on your motivation. I know there was a lot of pointless comeback
Henry - Yes, there are many pointless comebacks and reunions these days, but there are also some good ones. The new Gorefest record sounds great, and I am looking forward to the new Celtic Frost.

I never thought of forming other bands until 1993, when Dave Jengo and I played in Whiplash for a time. It was a great experience and since then I've talked to different musicians over the years about forming new bands. When I was living in Pittsburgh I talked with Eddie from Leeway and Scott from Brutal Truth about forming a band, as they were both living there and interested in making new music, but it didn't work out because I was too busy with my studies. And recently I've been talking to people in New York about forming a group in the style of Goblin, the great Italian rock band, but now I am moving to another state, so it won't happen. It will probably never happen because I am far too dedicated to my work at the University, my writing, and my family to invest the time. You never know what the future will bring, but for now there is The Burning Ground and the new Dim Mak CD.

VS-Wonder if you're still in touch with John McEntee. What do you think about the career he's got with INCANTATION ? Do you think it could have been the same for REVENANT ?
Henry - I saw quite a bit of John while I lived in Pittsburgh. I attended some Incantation shows there (he lives in a small city nearby) and talked to him and his wife Jill at other concerts. She has a good band called Funerus that I listen to. John's had a great career with Incantation. I like the new record and I know some of the earlier material, and as far as I can tell, they are a popular group.

On the other hand, I am also very happy that he left Revenant. Dave Jengo, who replaced him, was a better musician than John and he brought new ideas to the band. It's quite clear if you listen to The Burning Ground: we were a better band after John left to form Incantation. I know for a fact that John was happier as well. The funny thing is that John and Dave played together in a band called Hex before either of themjoined Revenant. John played guitar and Dave played bass guitar. I have a photo somewhere - they look like The Muppet Show!

The result of all this change was that we left behind a body of very original music in those six years from 1989-1995. It wasn't popular or successful, but it was original, and that's all that really matters to us.

On a related note, John helpe dus assemble materials for The Burning Ground. He helped us by contributing some old photographs for the insert and website. I think he understands the difference between his early contributions to Revenant and his later success with Incantation, and he recognizes, as I do, that they are two entirely different things.

VS-Talking about this special originality REVENANT had, how would you describe this difference you had with the rest of the scene ? Don’t you think the biggest problem you had was with metalhead’s mentality ? I mean most of times people are just not ready
Henry - That's an interesting point about Hellwitch. They are a great band and I met Pat many years ago when I was visiting Tom from Nokturnel at his house in Florida. You have to understand that many of the band members in the old scene were also fans of other bands, so the
scene was composed largely of other musicians. To this day, ninety percent of my friends from the old scene are musicians. There was no such thing as a "fan base" or a "following" for most bands until the late 1980's when U.S. bands started to tour and larger record labels started to exploit their music for profit. When Revenant and Immolation opened for Morbid Angel in New
Rochelle, New York in 1988, I can tell you that most of the people in the crowd were members of other bands: Ripping Corpse, Prime Evil, Mortician, Rigor Mortis, etc. To put it simply, no, we never had a problem with the scene, because the bands were the scene, and we all got along very well. There was mutual respect, at least most of the time.

Your point about avant-garde art is true to most forms, but I also think that some bands did quite well both commercially and artisticcally over the years. Take Meshugga, for example. They are certainly one of the most experimental groups to emerge from the old scene. But I agree that, overall, underground music was more interesting in the early years when there was
more room for experimentation. Isn't that true of all movements? First they explode with creativity and then later they become old and stagnate. Then finally, they die. Ocassionally, however, something unique and truly great appears in those last death throes.

VS-As you work at Univeristy, I just wonder if you have some students and if yes, did you ever tell them about your band ?
Henry - My students have never asked me about the music I played. Why should they care? If they knew, they would regard it as a curiosity at best. You have to remember that University students do not for the most part belong to the social class that listens to heavy metal.

If they asked me, however, I would recommend they read a book called "Deleuze's Wake: Tributes and Tributaries." It was written by a professor named Ronald Bogues and published by the State University of New York Press as part of a series dedicated to the subject of continental philosophy. As you may know, Gilles Deleuze belonged to that tremendous generation of post-WWII French thinkers who entirely changed the terrain of contemporary thought. In this case, the author dedicated a chapter to the subject of machinic forms of intelligence (a big topic in Deleuze's work) and he used death metal as his example. He mentions many familiar groups (even Revenant), but the important thing is that he pays close attention to the music (rather than the lyrics). It's a very interesting essay, and certainly the best piece of writing about this musical form that I have ever read. It is the exact opposite of that piece of trash sociological book that was published several years ago and whose title I refuse to mention.

VS-You'll be disapointed to hear, I don't know Gilles Deleuze but I promise I'll check his work. Philosophy has been a huge influence for you and REVENANT.... I've found several quote for you. Which of the following quotes fits you the best ?"And if you g
Henry - While most people would say that a life or a person is too large to match in a brief aphorism, I would argue the opposite: aphorisms are larger than life. Therefore, I don't fit any of these - not yet.

VS-That's it for this interview Henk, thanks a lot for your time and I really hope to hear from you and your music soon. Last comments are yours.
Henry -Thank you, and listen to Dim Mak.