来自地狱的诅咒 - 波兰Death Metal乐队Sphere专访

Volcano Magazine
1 day ago
14 min read

今天介绍的是来自波兰的Death Metal乐队Sphere，Sphere成立于2002年，从一开始乐队的音乐就植根于野蛮和侵略性的Old School Death Metal风格。2004年，经过几次阵容调整，Sphere发布了Demo作品“Spiritual Dope”，受到了波兰地下金属歌迷的关注。2006年录制了他们的首张专辑"Damned Souls Rituals"并继续销售了近5000份。这张专辑成功发行之后，Sphere在包括2007年Metalmania在内的众多音乐会，与Vital Remains等伟大乐队同台演出。2010年，Sphere乐队录制了他们的第二张专辑“Homo Hereticus“”。这此次发行标志着乐队继续致力于他们选择的道路，虽然深受Old School Death Metal风格的的影响，但这张专辑也接受了现代元素，结合了Groove元素，使声音既清晰又有冲击力。乐队通过举办一系列音乐会来推广新专辑，与著名的Death Metal乐队Cannibal Corpse同台演出，2015年，Sphere乐队录制第三张专辑"Mindless Mass"。乐队在2015年期间播放了32场演出2016年与Disggage、Cryptopsy等知名乐队同台演出，在沉寂了七年之后，Sphere于2021年录制他们的第四张专辑"Blood Era"。2025年乐队携带着新专辑“Inferno”强势回归，在新专辑发行之际杂志与乐队的鼓手Th0rn取得联系进行了一次专访！

（V: 代表笔者 T: 代表Th0rn）

Today we are introducing the Death Metal band Sphere from Poland. Sphere was founded in 2002 and their music has been rooted in the savage and aggressive Old School Death Metal style since the beginning. In 2004, after several lineup adjustments, Sphere released the demo work "Spiritual Dope", which attracted the attention of underground metal fans in Poland. In 2006, they recorded their debut album "Damned Souls Rituals" and continued to sell nearly 5000 copies. After the successful release of this album, Sphere performed at numerous concerts, including Metalmania in 2007, alongside great bands such as Vital Remains. In 2010, Sphere recorded their second album "Homo Hereticus". This release marks the band's continued commitment to the path they have chosen. While deeply influenced by the Old School Death Metal style, this album also incorporates modern elements, combining Groove elements to make the sound both clear and impactful. The band promoted their new album by hosting a series of concerts and performing alongside the renowned Death Metal band Cannibal Corpse. In 2015, Sphere recorded their third album "Mindless Mass". The band played 32 shows during 2015 and performed alongside well-known bands such as Dissege and Cryptopsy in 2016. After a hiatus of seven years, Sphere recorded their fourth album "Blood Era" in 2021. In 2025, the band will make a strong comeback with their new album "Inferno". On the occasion of the release of the new album, the magazine contacted the band's drummer Th0rn for an exclusive interview!

(V: represents the author T: represents Th0rn)

采访对象：Th0rn（Sphere乐队鼓手）

采访时间：2025.07.31

V: 你好，兄弟非常感谢你参加这次采访。我想这是你们乐队第一次接受中国杂志的采访。首先向所有中国球迷问好。Sphere乐队成立于2002年，是一支历史悠久的乐队。谁提议组建这个乐队？

Hello brother, thank you very much for participating in this interview. I think this is the first time your band has been interviewed by a Chinese magazine. First of all, let's say hello to all Chinese fans. Sphere band was founded in 2002 and is a long-standing band with a long history. Who proposed the formation of this band?

T: 嗨！也感谢你联系我们并想对我们进行采访。事实上，我们还没有机会与来自中国的任何人交谈——至少我不记得曾经发生过这种情况。所以，欢迎中国所有的Death Metal狂热者！是的，Sphere成立于2002年。我是乐队的主要创始人，事实上，自2002年我们成立以来，我一直是第一阵容中唯一一个还在演奏的原始成员。

Hi! Thanks as well for reaching out and for wanting to do an interview with us. Indeed, we haven’t had the chance to talk to anyone from China yet — at least I don’t recall that ever happening. So, welcome to all the death metal maniacs in China! Yes, Sphere was formed in 2002. I’m the main founder of the band and, in fact, have been the only original member from the very first lineup still playing since we started in 2002.

V: 乐队现在只有鼓手Th0rn作为创始成员，其他成员都被替换了。你今年刚换了吉他手。创始成员为什么离开乐队？新成员是怎么加入乐队的？你对新成员的工作满意吗？

The band now only has drummer Th0rn as a founding member, with all other members having been replaced. You just replaced your guitarist this year. Why did the founding members leave the band? How did the new members join the band? Are you satisfied with the new members' work?

T: 正如我提到的，我是乐队的创始人——其他人在乐队成立后不久就加入了我。多年来，阵容不断变化和发展。你知道在乐队里是怎么回事——有点像一个家庭。有时事情进展顺利，有时则不太顺利。一些成员因个人原因离开了，另一些成员因为失去了激情而停止了比赛，在某些情况下，我不得不让人们自己离开。作为乐队领队，我对Sphere的发展方向有着清晰的认识。如果有人不能与这一愿景保持一致或者试图强行改变现状，这通常意味着他们在加入乐队时没有完全接受乐队的原则。所以，简而言之，我尽我所能让乐队保持正轨并确保不负责任的人不会破坏我们所建立的东西。也许这就是为什么我们仍然存在，仍然成功地演奏，发行专辑，出现在越来越大的节日和演出中。

As I mentioned, I’m the founder of the band — the rest joined me shortly after the band was formed. Over the years, the lineup has changed and evolved. You know how it is in a band — it’s a bit like a family... sometimes things go well, sometimes not so much. Some members left for personal reasons, others stopped playing because they lost their passion, and in some cases, I had to let people go myself. As the band leader, I have a clear vision of the direction Sphere is meant to follow. If someone can’t align with that vision or tries to change things forcefully, it usually means they didn’t fully accept the band’s principles when they joined. So, in short — I do my best to keep the band on course and make sure that irresponsible people don’t derail what we’ve built. Maybe that’s why we’re still around, still playing successfully, releasing albums, and appearing at bigger and bigger festivals and shows.

V: 你们乐队的每个成员都是一位经验丰富的死亡金属音乐家。你能描述一下你的创作过程吗？我相信你的经历会激励许多年轻的音乐家。新吉他手Machete给乐队带来了什么新的创作灵感？

Each member of your band is an experienced death metal musician. Could you describe your creative process? I believe your experience will inspire many young musicians. What new creative inspiration has the new guitarist Machete brought to the band?

T: 我们几乎每个人都有多年的金属游戏经验。现在，我们正在创作新材料，部分在家里，部分在排练室。这些天，我通常和我们的一位吉他手一起制作材料——我们作为一个团队来写和安排一切并试图把它们拼凑成一个合乎逻辑的整体。只有到最后，我们才会聚在一起演奏新歌，并现场聆听它们的声音。Machete在“Inferno”录音环节接近尾声时加入了我们。他的任务是为这张专辑写吉他Solo。值得称赞的是，他做得很好。他在两周内完成了所有的独奏，然后在不到一周的时间里为专辑录制了这些独奏。所以我们真的很高兴他融入了乐队。

Pretty much each of us has many years of experience playing in the metal scene. Right now, we’re creating new material partly at home and partly in the rehearsal room. These days, I usually work on the material together with one of our guitarists — we write and arrange everything as a team and try to piece it all together into a logical whole. Only at the end do we all meet up to play the new songs together and hear how they sound live. Machete joined us toward the end of the “Inferno” recording sessions. His task was to write the guitar solos for the album. And to give credit where it’s due — he did a great job. He wrote all the solos in two weeks and then recorded them for the album in under a week. So we’re really happy with how well he’s integrated into the band.

V: 你的每一张专辑都有很好的录音质量。你在哪个录音室录制了专辑？哪位制作人制作了你的专辑？你今年刚刚发行了新专辑“Inferno”。录音过程顺利吗？

Each of your albums has excellent recording quality. Which studio did you record your albums in? Which producer produced your albums? You just released your new album “Inferno” this year. Did the recording process go smoothly?

T: 谢谢你的好话！我们的前两张专辑是在波兰南部的ZED工作室录制的，由Tomek Zalewski掌舵。然后，在华沙与Heinrich一起完成了“Then Mindless Mass”，“Blood Era”和我们最新发行的“Inferno”都是在华沙Janos工作室与PawełGrabowski一起录制的。一般来说，每次录音室会议都充满了压力、汗水和辛勤工作。然而，至少在Janos studio录制的最后两张专辑进展迅速、顺利，没有任何问题。与Paweł合作是一种绝对的乐趣，我想我们将来会再次回到他身边。

Thanks for the kind words! Our first two albums were recorded at ZED Studio in the south of Poland, with Tomek Zalewski at the helm. Then Mindless Mass was done in Warsaw with Heinrich, and both Blood Era and our latest release Inferno were recorded with Paweł Grabowski at Janos Studio in Warsaw. Generally, every studio session is full of stress, sweat, and hard work. However, at least the last two albums recorded at Janos Studio went quickly, smoothly, and without any issues. Working with Paweł is an absolute pleasure, and I imagine we’ll be returning to him again in the future.

V: 你的乐队与Empire Records, Masterful Records和Deformeathing Production等唱片公司合作发行了专辑，这些专辑都很棒。你是如何与这些品牌建立联系和合作的？你对他们的工作满意吗？

Your band has released albums in collaboration with labels such as Empire Records, Masterful Records, and Deformeathing Production, all of which are excellent. How did you establish contact and collaborate with these labels? Are you satisfied with their work?

T: 我们与Empire Records的协议是发行我们首张专辑的一次性安排。如今，这个标签已经不复存在了——它的所有者已经将重点转移到经营一家演唱会经纪公司上，现在实际上是Vader的经理。当时我们的首张专辑与"Thrash’em All"杂志一起发行，发行量约为5000张，所以对我们来说，这是最好的选择。后来，Homo Hereticus通过Masterful Prod.发行。Masterful Prod.实际上是我们自己的品牌，专门为发行这张专辑而创建，当时由我们的歌手管理。专辑"Mindless Mass"、"Blood Era"和"Inferno"都是通过Deformeathing Prod.发行的，与Wojtek合作是一次很棒的经历。一切都很清楚，我们互相支持——这真的感觉就像一个家庭。

Our deal with Empire Records was a one-time arrangement to release our debut album. That label no longer exists today — its owner has since shifted focus to running a concert agency and is actually the manager of Vader now. At the time, our debut album was released together with Thrash’em All magazine and had a circulation of about 5,000 copies, so for us, it was the best possible option. Later, Homo Hereticus was released through Masterful Prod. — that was actually our own label, created specifically to release that album, and it was managed by our vocalist at the time. The albums Mindless Mass, Blood Era, and Inferno were all released through Deformeathing Prod., and working with Wojtek has been a great experience. Everything is agreed upon clearly, we support each other — it really feels like a family.

V: 你们乐队的Logo设计很简单，但这种设计风格是我个人最喜欢的，因为它让我很容易记住你的名字。谁为你设计了这个Logo？你的专辑封面设计也很漂亮。谁为你设计了这些专辑艺术品？

Your band's logo design is very simple, but this design style is my personal favorite because it makes it very easy for me to remember your name. Who designed this logo for you? Your album artwork is also beautifully designed. Who designed these album artworks for you?

T: 这个Logo是很久以前创建的——我想是在2001年。这是我的一个朋友做的，他当时在一个乐队里演奏。我们喜欢它，它坚持了下来。至于“Blood Era”和“Inferno”的封面艺术，则是由Perversor（Cursed Art）设计的。我们似乎有一种特殊的理解——无论我向他描述什么，无论多么抽象，他都能把它变成一个如此糟糕的东西，以至于我总是忍不住从地板上抬起下巴！ :)

The logo was created a long, long time ago — I think back in 2001. It was made by a friend of mine who played in one of the bands at the time. We liked it, and it stuck. As for the cover art for Blood Era and Inferno, those were designed by Perversor (Cursed Art). We seem to have a special kind of understanding — whatever I describe to him, no matter how abstract, he manages to turn it into something so badass that I’m always left picking my jaw up off the floor! :)

V: 灵性主义、诅咒、仇恨这些都是你音乐的主题。你为什么选择这些主题，你想通过它们表达什么？你也写了歌词。谁为你写的？灵性主义——我想知道这意味着什么

Spiritualism, Damnation, Hatred these are the themes of your music. Why did you choose these themes, and what are you trying to express through them? You also wrote the lyrics. Who wrote them for you? Spiritualism—I would like to know what this means？

T: 一般来说，Sphere中的歌词总是由歌手写的。我只和他们讨论专辑应该是关于什么的，布局将参考什么，以及它将涉及什么主题。根据设计，Sphere是一个反宗教乐队。我们的音乐和歌词聚焦于这个世界上的邪恶——从战争、人类腐败和伤害他人的倾向，到我们周围的一切：虚伪、欺骗和人类仇恨。你只需要环顾四周，看看我们周围发生了什么，就有了一个即时的话题——甚至足以制作多张金属专辑：）

Generally, the lyrics in Sphere have always been written by the vocalists. I only discuss with them what the album should be about, what the layout will reference, and what themes it will involve. By design, Sphere is an anti-religious band. Our music and lyrics focus on the evil in this world — from wars, through human corruption and the tendency to harm others, to everything surrounding us: hypocrisy, deceit, and human hatred. You just need to look around at what’s happening around us, and there’s an instant topic ready — even enough for multiple metal albums :)

V: 首先，祝贺你的乐队最近发行了最新专辑“Inferno”。你融合了技术、Melodic Death Metal甚至一些Grindcore，这让你的作品听起来不那么单调。即兴重复段过渡到更技术和复杂的即兴重复段，鼓手擅长节奏变化和编排。新专辑也捕捉到了这些风格元素的精髓。然而，我个人觉得你已经从新专辑中删除了核心元素。无论如何，你的作品仍然是今年最真实的Old School Death Metal属专辑之一。你对自己的工作有什么看法？新专辑和你以前的专辑相比怎么样？

First, congratulations on your band’s recent release of the latest album “Inferno.” You’ve blended technical, melodic death metal, and even some grindcore elements, which prevents your work from sounding monotonous. The thrash-style riffs transition into more technical and complex riffs, and the drummer excels in rhythm changes and arrangements. The new album also captures the essence of these stylistic elements. However, I personally feel that you have removed the grindcore elements from the new album. Regardless, your work remains one of the most authentic old-school death metal albums of the year. What are your thoughts on your own work? How does the new album compare to your previous albums?

T: 你知道，我很难谈论这件事，因为我真的没有距离——我没有站在它之外。但我可以说，自“Blood Era”以来，我一直在努力发展故事和氛围。这就是为什么“Inferno”是“Blood Era”音乐和主题的自然延续。我们正在沿着这条路走，感觉我们已经找到了自己的定位。我已经知道下一张专辑是关于什么的了——我们会看看我们能多快地为它创作素材。当然，最后两张专辑比以前更多的是Death / Black Metal。但这一切都取决于我们脑海中浮现的即兴重复段以及我们此刻的想法。

You know, it’s hard for me to talk about this because I don’t really have the distance — I’m not standing outside of it. But I can say that since Blood Era, I’ve been trying to develop the story and atmosphere more. That’s why Inferno is a natural continuation of the music and themes from Blood Era. We’re following that path, and it feels like we’ve found our niche there. I already know what the next album will be about — we’ll see how quickly we manage to create the material for it. Certainly, the last two albums are more death/black metal than before. But it all depends on the riffs that come to us and what’s playing in our minds at the moment.

V: 作为一支经验丰富的乐队，你参加了许多音乐节。哪些给你留下了深刻的印象？你能描述一下这些活动的气氛吗？2025年你打算参加哪些音乐节？如果中国将来邀请你为中国歌迷表演，你愿意吗？

As a veteran band, you have participated in many music festivals. Which ones left a deep impression on you? Can you describe the atmosphere at those events? Which music festivals are you planning to participate in in 2025? If China invites you to perform for Chinese fans in the future, would you be willing to do so?

T: 是的，23年后，我确实做了不少节目。当然，我可以指出那些将永远伴随我的人。毫无疑问，2007年Definitely Metalmania和2025年Mystic Fest。这两个节日虽然相隔多年，但给我留下了深刻的印象。2007年的Metalmania发生在卡托维兹的Spodek——波兰南部一个形状像不明飞行物的大竞技场。这是一场金属庆典，吸引了来自欧洲各地的人们，通常约有4000-5000名与会者。我们今年举办的Mystic Fest 2025可能是我们迄今为止举办的最大的节日。它在格但斯克造船厂的巨大场地上举行，有五个阶段不间断地运行，其中包括来自世界各地的最大乐队。这是一次很棒的活动，一次体验，能出去现场玩我们的材料真是太棒了。当然，如果有机会为中国观众表演，我会当场收拾行李，准备起飞！谁知道呢，也许有一天会发生！

Yeah, after 23 years, I’ve definitely done quite a few shows. But of course, I can point out the ones that will stay with me forever. Definitely Metalmania 2007 and Mystic Fest 2025. Both festivals, though separated by many years, left a huge impression on me. Metalmania 2007 took place in Katowice’s Spodek — that big arena shaped like a UFO in southern Poland. It was a metal celebration that drew people from all over Europe, usually around 4,000–5,000 attendees. Mystic Fest 2025, which we played this year, was probably the biggest festival we’ve done so far. It was held on the huge grounds of the Gdańsk shipyard, with five stages running nonstop featuring the biggest bands from all over the world. An awesome event, an experience, and it was great to get out there and play our material live. Of course, if there was a chance to play for a Chinese audience, I’d be packing my bags on the spot and ready to fly! Who knows, maybe someday it’ll happen!

V: Sphere是一支优秀的乐队，我是你们的忠实歌迷。我将继续关注和支持你的乐队。我也希望通过这次采访让更多的中国歌迷能够关注和支持你们的乐队。最后你有什么想对你的中国歌迷朋友们说的吗？

Sphere is an excellent band, and I am a loyal fan. I will continue to follow and support your band. I also hope that through this interview, more Chinese fans will pay attention to and support your band. Finally, is there anything you would like to say to your Chinese fans?

T: 非常感谢有机会聊天、支持和在中国传播金属！在我们的官方网站、脸书和Instagram上关注我们。此外，请随时访问我们的商品商店www.damnedsphere.badcamp.com！我们有专辑、t恤和其他很酷的东西！再次感谢，稍后与您交谈！

Mike 'Th0rn'

Thanks so much for the opportunity to chat, for the support, and for spreading metal in China! Follow us on our official website, Facebook, and Instagram. Also, feel free to check out our merch store at www.damnedsphere.bandcamp.com! We’ve got albums, t-shirts, and other cool stuff! Thanks again and talk to you soon!

Mike 'Th0rn'