La Baza Gatului: When you first started with Master, did you imagine it would last that long?
Paul Speckmann: Well definitely the band was designed for longevity, I expected to be playing for the long run for sure. When you believe in a band and yourself, you can go on forever I believe. I mean for sure the band has had its ups and downs and problems from time to time, but the band will continue through thick and thin always. This is what I do best, so I will continue as long as absolutely possible. Look at bands like Motorhead or Black Sabbath.
La Baza Gatului: Master is considered one of the cult death metal bands. Does that make any difference to you?
Paul Speckmann: No, this makes no difference to me. I have and always will play Metal. What substantiates being cult? I have and always will play my original style and take on the genre. The world is an angry place and I am an angry bastard as well and I choose to bring this out in my music instead of murdering people.
La Baza Gatului: When did you start playing music and when did you first realized that this was going to be “your path”?
Paul Speckmann: I started singing in a band called White Cross in high school at the age of 15. Then I began practicing on the bass guitar at 17 years old and decided this was the path for me. It has been a long haul to get where I am today, but it’s still a struggle to get shows and be heard from time to time.
La Baza Gatului: During your long lasting career, have you ever felt frustrated or disappointed to the verge of abandoning the metal scene and starting doing something else?
Paul Speckmann: Never, there is nothing else for me out there.
La Baza Gatului: Besides beer hahaha, why did you move to Czech Republic in the first place? Is this move permanent? Do you still have family and relatives in the US you still have to visit sometimes?
Paul Speckmann: I joined a band called Krabathor here in Czech after successfully recording a project called Martyr with the members of the now defunct band Krabathor. They offered an excellent opportunity for me to come to Europe and I have been here ever since. The move is permanent. I only return to the USA to play concerts and tours. As for family I have three brothers living in various states in the USA.
La Baza Gatului: What are the major differences between Europe and the States (metal scene, fans, publications, etc.)?
Paul Speckmann: There are bigger audiences in Europe and more magazines that support the scene. This is the reason I moved here in the first place. I wanted to be where Metal was happening and well respected. Back in the day in the USA Master was lucky to get 20 people to come to a show. Ok, today the shows in America are far more successful, but Europeans have always showed far more respect to one of the originators of the genre.
La Baza Gatului: You are a musician that is not at all inclined towards artistic compromise and this is a feeling emerging from all your albums. What keeps you motivated after all these years?
Paul Speckmann: The world around us is the biggest influence on my writing. We live in constant turmoil with tyrants at the helm of all great countries. It’s time to remove these pirates and give the world back to the people. It’s time for Anarchy. The young people need to organize themselves and take down these heathens.
La Baza Gatului: Do you manage to make a living out of music or have to keep a job apart from that?
Paul Speckmann: I play music and tour as well as work for some other bands selling their merchandise, but this sustains me throughout my life every year.
La Baza Gatului: Do you believe in good and evil?
Paul Speckmann: Of course! There are great people and mostly shit people across the globe.
La Baza Gatului: Do you have any favorite pieces of art?
Paul Speckmann: Yes, my Gibson guitars.
La Baza Gatului: What are, in your opinion, the strongest points of your latest studio album, The Human Machine?
Paul Speckmann: The album speaks the truth about what is happening today and the sound and the energy of the album speaks for itself.
La Baza Gatului: If you would be a journalist, how would you rate it (on a scale from 0 to 10) and why?
Paul Speckmann: 10, because the album has its own sound and sounds like no other record out there today. Today the studios and bands create records that sound like machines. My CDs always have a human element behind them.
La Baza Gatului: Do you ever make future plans (musically speaking)? If yes, what are your future plans?
Paul Speckmann: We have over 80 concerts on the horizon including Russia, The USA, Europe and then South America. We will then record a new CD in the fall of 2011.
La Baza Gatului: Is there any question you would have liked me to ask you and I haven’t? If yes, please answer that question.
Paul Speckmann: No.
La Baza Gatului: Thanks a lot for your time. The final words are yours.
Paul Speckmann: If you are looking for original Metal that has been around since 1984, then check out the first two CDs from Master or the latest two, The Human Machine or Slaves To Society and you surely won’t be disappointed.
www.master-speckmetal.com
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