Glorified to the masses life as a touring band can be deceptively misleading. Portrayed as a life of leisure and luxury the harsh truth is a far cry from the romanticised ideal. With record sales slowly on the rise, avenues for revenue need to be gained in other areas hence the eclectic touring packages of late. Coming out of their five year hibernation Melechesh unleashed their latest Mesopotamian opus Enki last year. Following a brilliant year, it was abruptly halted when Ashmedi was involved in an altercation which has understandably put a strain on him and the band. Personally feeling the man could do no harm unless it was truly warranted, from when we spoke he unveiled sage like wisdom. Regarding the recent matters in Jerusalem and asking why the bassist decided to verbalise quitting than being let go. This is a harsh look at what it truly is to be in control of your band and just how much work goes into keeping an entity like Melechesh alive. Take it away Ashmedi! 

You can listen to the full unedited interview in our Soundcloud or read a transcript below! 

So today I have Ashmedi with me! What have you guys been up to this year?

This year just started you know! I started a little bit on the challenging side. There were some line up changes, the session people had to change the bass player. Meanwhile I was in Israel, I was stuck in Jerusalem for some reasons and I had to come to Europe with the help of a mediator who is like an assitant manager, he’s helping me put everything together, we worked it out and did a gig. A few gigs, a few festivals, which were rehabilitating us to go back on tour. This tour has just started and the year has just started. 

Hopefully in a positive kind of light! 

Well it started out very negative, now its starting to be very positive and to our advantage. The line up on this tour is pretty tight.

Would you mind if I asked why the bassist quit?

I actually let him go and after I let him go there was a lot of debating with me. I talked to my friends and my family, I have to do this step and even I think mentioned it to his mother because I respect the lady very much, she’s a good lady. But when I made the press release later saying “Ok here is a new bass player.” there were some particular issues that some line up changes had to be done.

That was it! I tried to keep it as nice as possible but weeks later he said that he quit to focus on his side project which was strange to say because he has always been doing his side project, always. He’s always releasing and he’s always active but you know if it makes him happy saying it that way it is but its not true he did not quit. I’ve got the mails as well when I told him you are no longer in the band. Its very childish to say but I got cornered into that now. 

Moving on…

No, no, the reason I had to change the people is because I got in trouble in Jerusalem, I don’t know if you heard about it?

I heard a little bit, yeah..

A lot of people stood by me sending me support and with Melechesh I run the show, write the music, run the management aspect and everyone could maintain a life, a routine until we get on the road. Which could be intense and I appreciate everybody for being available for that. This time I said guys I’m under house arrest in Jerusalem, I need you guys to do a bit more for a couple of months.

That wasn’t really the case, instead of support there was the opposite. The session guitar player said the words “Its not fun anymore” and besides the guy is a good guy, he has some personal issues so he quit. I told him it was the worst time to do that, it can’t always be fun to be in a band. Touring the world, 70, 000 Tons of Metal, playing to a couple of thousand people in Colombia. Its really fun! You get to experience new things but there are sometimes bad times where you say “Hey come on, I need you guys”. He said the word “not fun”, my bass player didn’t do much he was just busy with himself so when you’re in a big, big challenge in your life the last thing you want to do is reshuffle the band members but I had to be true to myself and I can’t possibly go on stage and do this music while knowing there is something not right, its almost like a burden on my heart.

So I had to man up and find a guitar player AND a bass player which makes life harder. Mind you, if he says he quit, what kind of guy would quit on you when you’re under house arrest. So its not really nice to each his own,each have their own way of thinking and even jargon “Hey you make now lots of enemies” words like that. I’ve seen that in Kung Fu films and stuff.

Hahahaha 

In real life its not working out. You try to be OK with it, in the end we are all good people and I wish everybody helps and to do the things that they like. For example if something goes wrong with him now I would be not happy about it. Some other people would laugh about it, I’m not like that. We’re in a band and its not working out, its not working out, end of story! Just think of the good times and move on.

Marriages end, families end and don’t forget we’re underground bands! We’re not Metallica, now in Metallica you can afford to be a dick when your salary is a billion dollars a year or something haha! This is hard you know? I try and keep the band touring on a professional level, comfortable, you can see all the catering, the comfortable tour bus, the crew, the backline provided the endorsements if possible…

If you have a band I will try and show your band to the label, introduce you to everyone I know, you know! Try to do that and keep everyone comfortable, there are long delays here we try to get a nice hotel. Its always on the rider minimum three stars, dignified but not necessarily respected by bookers and stuff. Try to keep it comfortable with the financial structure of being on this level. Its a tricky subject to pass and both expenses for everybody plus the minute salaries that we can give. To ease the burden from being away from home and stuff like that and its working!

Now I’ve got a new member in the band and he’s like “So I pay my own transport to the rehearsal room?” No. “Do I pay for the rehearsals?” No. “Do I need to transport my own equipment and amplifiers?” No you don’t need to there is a backline, we pay the flights we pay for everything. “Do I need to pay for the visa?” No. “What do I pay for?? Nothing?!” Cigarettes if you want anything extra like that but you don’t like the food you go somewhere else. Its ok! Its not bad at all and its quite comfortable and thats why people confuse it with, “Oh its going to be always like that”. Its not. We’re working hard to keep it like that. 

So its positive coming out of negative then? 

I don’t know, I think negative sometimes comes out of positive when people start taking things for granted. Then it goes away and you think about it and then you come out with your own conclusion. Did I do the right thing but at the moment things are great! We’re having a good time as a touring line up, we’re getting along together and its relaxed. I like it relaxed, on tour I just want to go to sleep, watch a film, do my interviews and focus on the show, I don’t want nothing more.

Everybody is just doing their thing! Helping out lending a hand, helping with the crew, they don’t have to but this tour at the moment, my band guys are making things easier on me, on an emotional and physical level. They’re doing their best every night and we’re getting positive reactions every night that we are playing. Now I’m getting superstitious! Just because I said that now we’re going to suck haha! 

I don’t know if you remember but last May, we spoke at Incineration Festival. 

I remember of course! We did that festival, it was fucking cool but short haha! 

One of the questions that I asked was “If the house was burning down, what would you take with you” and you said nothing. It struck me but what has made you become spiritual?

Before I was like a hoarder man! “Sure I’ll take this home! Thanks! An object!” Now when someone wants to give me a present, if there’s nothing I need I say just get a nice bottle of whiskey and we drink it together. Thats more fun actually! Or lets go to a restaurant and have a few bottles of wine or something.

You feel more free because I have moved around a lot, they’re objects, I forget I have them when they’re in storage. That means I don’t need them. Of course with the music and books, these are tools you need but they can be replaced unless they are one of a kind but no I would take nothing.

But that’s because you’ve been travelling around?

As long as I am there and my wallet is with me haha maybe a telephone but you can always go buy a cheap one. You don’t really need it! Maybe if there is something of sentimental value to someone but generally speaking, you feel free then. I’m not talking like a fucking Buddhist. 

Hahaha 

If get money then sure I need it! 

Do you try and bring that spirituality into the music then?

Well in a way I try to show how great man and how minute man can be. You understand? That’s why I say “The insects to their kingdoms” in one of my lyrics because think about in a hundred and fifty years none of the people on this earth will be here. There will be other people, all the actors, presidents, criminals, artists there will be a new set of people. 

Its already started! Alan Rickman dying…

Everybody’s gotta go! Also I try and see the greater picture from a cosmic point of view so in the end all of this is really just very simple things. Don’t get me wrong if someone tells me right now “I’m going to give you a fuckin’ Lamborghini” I’m going to be happy, very happy! 

Haha what about the fans’ reaction to Enki, its been out for a year now. 

A year and a month I believe! The reaction is good, the cool thing with Melechesh is some bands they release an album, it hypes and no one hears it again so its only the hype within the first couple of months. With us its the longer its taking the more word of mouth is spreading and more people are liking the music and thats kind of cool this whole word of mouth how it works. Thats the biggest compliment as a musician, maybe not from a commercial point of view but its really  cool from an artistic point of view.

People sometimes tell me, I’ve never heard you before and now I’m really in love with it. That’s cool! An older album and still with word of mouth going. Its a good thing so the reaction now because there are more people hearing it because of word of mouth. We got a pretty cool reactions like on the tour just about every night we have played even last night in Bristol people were really enthusiastic and quite rowdy! 

Those Bristolians! 

Those Bristolians! God! Just give me a cucumber sandwich and leave me alone haha! Really fun last night and the night before in Harleem in the Netherlands, usually they’re pretty timid but it was insane and even one guy got knocked out and passed out and we had to stop the song mid way through. We had to stop the song, the guy is known to be a harmless drunk but he fell so hard.

I’m playing and I see people trying to help him but then I see him lying flat with his eyes open, that means he was passed out. So we had to stop the song, you can’t do anything else! The fans were helping, our guitar tech jumps to help him and then the crew came and then the ambulance came. He woke up and he was bleeding, blood is no problem its a cut it bleeds. I was just worried that he would get into a coma or something and usually these kind of falls you have to go to hospital later on and check the person out. It was THAT rowdy haha! 

What are your plans for later on in the year then?

I’ve got legal problems that I’ve got to finish with and unless I do that I can’t do any plans. I might have to be staying extended periods of time in Jerusalem rather than Germany where I am situated in. I want to settle back down there but at the moment its pointless because I’m stuck in Jerusalem doing this legal stuff but they are allowing me to come to tour which is amazing. Its costing a lot but its amazing that I can come to tour. However what’s for sure is that we have a set of festivals that are booked and hopefully they will allow me to go and do them.

Supposedly they told me that it should not be a problem. Now they allow me to go ten days at a time without any hassle, while going through legal proceedings to do my job. For the tour it was almost two months I had to go but my lawyer got some paperwork done and he let me do it. On the one hand what I am going through there is terrible on the other I am very thankful they let me do that on the third hand which I don’t have! Ohhh maybe I do hahaha! I’m actually a Dutch citizen during the proceeding before the sentencing. 

You’ve got so many nationalities man! 

Because I’m from planet earth! Its that simple! 

Finally what’s been a record that you have been listening to over the last six months to a year?

Hmm, in Metal? Whenever its a Metal record you catch me off guard because I don’t know whats new and whats old. I’m not really following and I don’t really like ninety five percent of the releases. I don’t think they’re good they are not pleasant to my ears. 

It doesn’t have to be new! 

The new Amorphis I like very much! I listen to it a lot and Napalm Death because I like them very much. They’re both to me Rock bands, they plug and play good and with good structure! Both bands, you see different they are! I might not be mentioning a band which have maybe an even better album but I didn’t hear it. Secret Chiefs III I listen to a lot I always listen to that! 

I’ve got a friend of mine that I used to work with and he was mad on Secret Chiefs III! 

I’ll give you some advice. Go see them live. Its one of the best live experiences ever, seriously. I took like very conservative Black Metal dudes, young guys and they’re open minded but they are not too exposed I took them to the show and their jaws just dropped, they bought all their albums and just thought “Holy shit, what are we watching!” 

Thank you ever so much for speaking with us today, Ashmedi. 

My pleasure!