HATE ETERNAL's ERIK RUTAN Says New Material 'Is Really Expanding The Boundaries'

Metal Mark of SkullsNBones.com conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Erik Rutan of Florida-based death metallers HATE ETERNAL when the band played at the Masquerade in Atlanta, Georgia on August 24, 2010. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

SkullsNBones.com: The first date of the tour was here in Atlanta. What did you think of the show?

Rutan: It was alright for a first show. It was really hard to hear, and it was a Tuesday-night show, but overall I thought it was good. We played well, and the tour has a really good package with all the bands. I like playing with CANNABIS CORPSE and ORDER OF ENNEAD because they are great bands and really good guys.

SkullsNBones.com: With this being the last tour of 2010 for HATE ETERNAL, what is the plan for the rest of the year?

Rutan: We are going into pre-production for a month when we get home. We already got twelve or thirteen songs written, so we are going to finish those up and start recording the new album in October. That's the plan for now, and then we should be back in the spring to start up touring again.

SkullsNBones.com: With every album that HATE ETERNAL has released, it seems that you always create a new level of heaviness. What is the new stuff sounding like?

Rutan: Man, this record is really expanding the boundaries. The fast, complex stuff is super-fast and super-complex, and then some of the heavy stuff is unbelievably heavy. I guess I would just say it's expanding the horizon from what we've previously done, but still keeping the intensity that we have always had, ya know?! We are just trying to do different things without changing the mold. We are always going to be a brutal, extreme death metal band. That's never going to change. A lot of the focus of this record is on really heavy, evil dissonant stuff like we've done in the past, but with a different vibe. It still has the same HATE ETERNAL feel, for sure, so I'm excited for people to hear it.

SkullsNBones.com: When it comes to you personally, with all your production work and the band, do you ever have time off?

Rutan: No, that's my problem. I need to hire some more people at the studio to get some time off. It'd be nice to have more time to relax, but in all seriousness, I love what I do. I live near the beach, ya know, so I see the beach to and from work, so I guess that's my vacation time. I love playing and I love producing, so I'm happy right where I am. It's really hard to say no to someone in the studio, because I'm recording such great bands all the time. All of the bands I've worked with I greatly respect and admire, and I love getting the chance to jam with them when we get the opportunity. But yeah, I can't really complain about not having much time off, because I really do love my job.

SkullsNBones.com: MORBID ANGEL was recently down at your studio. How is their material coming together?

Rutan: It's awesome, man. They are working on some really great stuff, and it all sounds like MORBID ANGEL. That album is going to be really sick when it's completed.

SkullsNBones.com: You've had tons of great metal bands in and out of your studio, but do you have a favorite to work with?

Rutan: That's a tough question, man. I wouldn't say favorite necessarily, because I've enjoyed every band that has come to the studio. Some of the bands I've been working with for years, like CANNIBAL CORPSE, GOATWHORE, and SOILENT GREEN, and they are great friends of mine now. I'm getting set up to do my third records with some of them, so I'm really excited to hang with those guys again. We recently worked with MADBALL and that was awesome. They are great guys, and a remarkable band, so that was a ton of fun. I've worked with some great bands ya know, so it'd be hard to name a favorite.

Read the entire interview from SkullsNBones.com