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Biografie : Mandatory (GER)

Hails folks, hellraisers and beerdrinkers wherever you are reading these lines!

So you will be given some information about this Death Metal bunch called MANDATORY. In summer '99 Stefan Steinhaus (dr/vox) - call him Stinne - and Sascha Beselt (git/bass) started out with some other guys in a Thrash Metal band called INVADER.

We were influenced by the legends such as ONSLAUGHT, RAZOR, EXCITER, AGENT STEEL and SLAYER; so heads-down and forward-rocking Speed-Thrash. Back then we would do a whole album and playing on and on 'til nighttime. The whole band somehow lost interest in fighting on in the Thrash szene when it became obviously clear that the Death Metal roots came through. We always loved the Swedish killers we all know: UNLEASHED, GRAVE, NIHILIST, CARNAGE and so on.

So one day we decided to do a couple of Death Metal songs just for fun. It was summer '02. Within half of an hour we had a whole new song, the track which was going to be called 'Sweet Revenge' on the first release, the 7-track-MCD "Divine Destruction".

We were so happy about the easy and satisfying process of writing this new material, that we decided to start with the next one immediately. Bamm! And an hour later we had the next one. A great day - 2 new tracks in just 2 hours.

We met again the next day and went on writing Death Metal material in the vein of the above mentioned bands. But we also included a lot of styles known from Thrash Metal - remember we started out as a Thrash Metal act. With the composing process going on we also mixed up several other influences which we can remember as some sort of PUNGENT STENCH- or ASPHYX'ieske riffs.

Within one week the whole CD was ready for recording. But before we lost our two other band members on second guitar and bass. They decided to share their time with their girl friends or whatever. Who cares? We soon entered Flammenmeer Studio in Meckenheim where the recording took 4 days including mixing and mastering. We then released the material and we got very strong reviews in a lot of well known (web)zines such as LEGACY, CARNAGE, METALSTORM.de, HEAVY, ODER WAS?!, ABYSS and some others as well.

After the release of "Divine Destruction" we immediately went on writing new material which took another 2 months perhaps before we entered Flammenmeer Studio again. 6 new tracks were recorded and mixed and finally mastered at Die Perle Am Rhein Studio, Andernach, by Ricolf Cross. Unfortunately, we got problems with this studio and his owner telling, so that we had finally lost some interest in the new tracks which were definitely strong but somehow we thought they would lack anything.

We let the material being mastered again and we were satisfied with the result but we never released the new tracks. The whole thing did not feel as right as it did in the beginning. So one day in summer '03 we began writing completeley new material which we felt was going to best our best so far. It was deep and rough and sounded just like it could have been written by ENTOMBED in 1990. Really killer tracks which were recorded at SHOW NO MERCY STUDIO, Euskirchen. They have been released on the MCD "...Where They Bleed". Just check www.myspace.com/mandatory1989 for a listen and for ordering as well.

Around February '04 though we also started writing some other new material for MANDATORY. At this time we were perhaps influenced by bands just as INFESTDEAD, AUTOPSY, BOLT THROWER and OBITUARY which of course hab always been faves of us as well but this time their influence made out the most part of the new material which came out as a lil' bit more complex. We thought about releasing it under another name 'cause it differed a lot from what MANDATORY did before but finally we thought "Fuck! Why not?" and recorded it. The result was the MCD "Curse Of The Undead" which got us strong reviews again and all in all a lot more feedback by the press and labels which finally led to a deal with ASPHYXIATE RECORDINGS, Australia. But it was not the only label which had interest in MANDATORY. TIME BEFORE TIME RECORDS, Poland, are also interested in releasing MANDATORY stuff these days and a Japanese label as well. We will see if we can work out some deal with them, too. Of course, it would be great seeing our stuff released at different places and continents of the world.

So all this material of "Curse Of The Undead" was written after that material which is being released these days on "...Where They Bleed". Funny story but that's the way it went. The feedback for "...Where They Bleed" is strong, very strong. We think it is the absolute best material 'til now. In the meantime we have also written enough material for two album releases. And what can we say? We love these songs. They are a great mix of the best of EDGE OF SANITY, CANCER, UNLEASHED, DESULTORY and AUTOPSY just to name a few bands which could give you a hint of the new songs we will be recording in winter '06/'07 at SHOW NO MERCY STUDIO here in Euskirchen, Germany. They have this typical old school groove you love in GRAVE and the harmonies which you love about E.O.S., DESULTORY, CEMETARY or TIAMAT.

Just check our pages for information on the band or get in touch with us on www.myspace.com/mandatory1989 or the weppage www.mandatory-death.de.

Thank you for reading so far and for grinding on in the name of Death Metal !!

Cheers,

MANDATORY