Begotten | Interview | 20th Anniversary of Man’s Ruin Debut
The truly doomed Begotten formed in 1997 and released their self-titled album on Man’s Ruin in 2001 shortly before the World Trade Center went down and the label went under.
The original self-titled Begotten album was recorded with an analog reel-to-reel and came out with Man’s Ruin’s dying breath. It took 21 years for this doom monster to finally come alive on the vinyl format via Black Farm Records. Mastered (and freshly re-mastered for the latest vinyl edition) by Roger Lian (Slayer, Monster Magnet, Pantera), this self-titled album is one of the true highlights of that pre-9/11 era, when Doom was outdated and all forms of “new” metal were trendy. Fiery riffs of doom and a crushing wall of sound is what Begotten had to offer.
Amanda Topaz (bass, vocals)
Rob Sefcik (drums)
Matthew Anselmo (guitar, vocals)
“The city was a struggle that made the resulting music that much sweeter”
How did you originally get in touch with Man’s Ruin Records?
Amanda Topaz: That year I was working at UNIMAX tattoo supply. Among other things I was their artbook buyer. I love all forms of art and would do my best to keep up with it at all the major exhibitions and gallery openings in NYC. I’m pretty sure I met Kozik at a gallery opening. We started talking about his art, and how much I loved the bands on his label and I probably mentioned Begotten to him then. We had a few friends in common. I don’t really remember the whole process, but I did find some old printed emails when digging through storage that said “Even Guy liked it and he doesn’t like anything,” so we must have sent him a demo cassette at some point.
You became the last band to release a record on this legendary stoner/doom label.
Amanda Topaz: Yup. Acid King also released Busse Woods just before our album, and it never made it to vinyl either. I think Kozik was fed up because he made money on his art and it all went into the label and he got very little love back from all the bands. It was different back then before music was available online. Bands thought he was making money on music sales because many labels were making money, but I don’t think he was.
Would you like to discuss some early days? What kind of records and fanzines would we find in your room if we travelled back in the pre-Begotten days?
Amanda Topaz: I worked at Tower Records on Broadway for a while and had boxes of records, CDs and cassettes of all genres. How can you even choose? If you are talking bass vibes my top 4 were Black Sabbath, Mountain, Mingus, Motörhead. There was so much great music from Man’s Ruin and Sub Pop, Matt was always talking Emperor and Type O Negative. Everyone loved Kyuss and the Melvins. No idea how to really answer this question, sorry.
You were coming from New York City. Did city life influence your music?
Amanda Topaz: Absolutely. We craved nature living in an asphalt jungle. It took an hour just to get to the beach. It was so expensive. We couldn’t afford a rehearsal space. We lived in different boroughs so it was a drag to lug instruments on the subway to Queens or wherever we were practicing that week. I had gear stolen – (In the ‘Judges’ video I’m playing a Gibson loaner from the company – this guy named Jimmy Archie from Gibson used to hang around gigs in the city and loan us gear to try out — I only had it for a month). We all worked constantly. I eventually bought a van but there was nowhere to park it. It was like having a big dog you have to walk every morning. The city was a struggle that made the resulting music that much sweeter.
“Just play music with cats you like and ignore everyone telling you differently”
The city itself back then was notorious for punk music. There weren’t many bands playing the kind of stuff you were doing. How accepted were you by the underground crowd? Not many people were into doom in NYC.
[All]: It was kind of nice to be a part of a small scene. It felt like rebellion. “Fuck you we wanna play slow.” We played with great bands passing through like Spirit Caravan, Thrones, Sons of Otis, and Electric Wizard. We also got along with some crossovers like Disassociate. The scene is so overwhelmingly huge now. Cool, but totally different vibe. What sucks now is the obsession with social media and kids feeling like they have to be great marketers as a young band. Just play music with cats you like and ignore everyone telling you differently.
It’s always interesting to hear bands talking about some other local bands that they find interesting… were there any back then when you were playing?
[All]: Winter, Warhorse, 13 (Liz Buckingham) and Sourvein (Liz Buckingham) were local-ish but still far from back then. You had to love “Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black” no matter what kind of music you were into. Solace and Solarized were in NJ. Things weren’t as connected as they are now. It was easy to miss a show if it wasn’t advertised in The Voice or playing at one of the four live houses you went to all the time or if your friend forgot to call and tell you.
How did the gigs look like for you back then?
[All]: Fun because we usually played with great people.
Any crazy stories you would like to share?
[All]: Yeah but not without getting permission from other cats involved.
Would you like to share some further words about the recording and producing aspect of the record?
[All]: We were given a bit of money from Man’s Ruin and we spent it all on the recording. Anthony Esposito had a place called Schoolhouse Studio and he bought this sweet old Neve board rescued from Electric Lady Studio on 8th Street so we started hanging out at his place and practicing tunes and did the whole thing reel-to-reel. Sounds different than recording to digital even though it was eventually put on digital. Amanda plays an old maple neck Fender for some of the songs, and an old B.C. Rich Mockingbird with “Bad Ass” pickups (best birthday gift ever from her sister Jill Bonny via tattoo artist Tim Lehi) on some of the songs. The only pedals were a vintage Morley and vintage Big Muff. The whip you hear on ‘Garabed’s Freedom’ was a real 6 foot leather whip made in New Zealand and was hard as f@ck to crack right on the beat without destroying stuff in the studio or wrapping around mike stands.
9/11 seemed to have a very big impact on the scene… which among all the other horrors also brought Begotten and many other NYC bands to a crashing halt. What were the circumstances surrounding the end of your band?
[All]: Yeah – basically just the heartbreak of 9/11 and issues of being young. Matt was dealing with health issues – Amanda was being stalked and harassed and going deaf.
It must have been extremely hard on you. Matt Anselmo was diagnosed with throat cancer and Amanda had problems with hearing… would you like to discuss how you overcame it?
[All]: Matt had to change his vocal style dramatically which you hear in our later EPs. Amanda had an operation in one ear which changed the EQ in her head and caused her to quit listening to music completely for a few years because everything sounded different. When we got back together to do shows she had to hire a friend to do sound because she couldn’t hear the levels properly. Some venues she couldn’t hear herself at all and had to trust in muscle memory and rhythm.
You hear more if you listen to the last songs we recorded in 2019, like ‘Ineffable Light’ – Amanda is messing with rhythms and ‘Traktor Beam’ Matt’s vocals sound totally different from his 2001 vocals.
Were you aware at the time a series of distribution changes and problems involving the label having outgrown its original distributor?
[All]: We had no idea about any of that. He didn’t share any of the business side with us and we weren’t interested. Our heads were just in the music.
Rob Sefcik, you joined Kings Destroy. What was that like?
Rob Sefcik: I helped to form Kings Destroy around 2008? With some very good friends. At the time Begotten wasn’t active and I still wanted to play and record. We were able to do some really fun tours with Weedeater and Pentagram and Bongzilla. We also recorded 4 full lengths and a few other things. Our style is also distinctly different than Begotten, a more traditional style and not as much jamming. We’re still currently playing, just did Psycho Las Vegas awhile ago and are heading to Europe soon.
Rob Sefcik, you were already involved before Begotten with Electric Frankenstein.
Rob Sefcik: Yes. At the time Begotten had formed I was still playing with Electric Frankenstein, it was a totally different style of music but we were being offered lots of tours (especially in Europe) and at the time I really enjoyed touring. I continued playing and recording with Electric Frankenstein for a while after Begotten formed and remains friends with them to this day. I do feel like Begotten was truer to what I wanted to do at the time…slower, heavier tunes with a looser vibe. I also felt more directly involved in the creative process. Still love my Electric Frankenstein buddies and always will!
Amanda Topaz, you were part of I.C.U.?
Amanda Topaz: I didn’t write any of the music, but I recorded an album or two with them and went on a couple of tours. It was fun recording covers for the label compilations. It paid for my gear and gave me some great road experience that I’m grateful for. Pee Wee/Perry Masco was basically the band and she was very cool but kind of insane. Our second tour the drummer quit after 5 days and instead of cancelling she found drummers in every city we went to. I had to teach them the song on the day of the show and cue them during the set. That sort of thing was typical back then though – bands now seem very level-headed, well-adjusted and organized.
Begotten was reawakened in 2016…. What are some current plans for you guys?
Amanda Topaz: It felt great to jam together in 2016 and up until 2019 we were writing new music. Then this thing called the pandemic happened. You can ignore it and try to go on like everything is fine and nothing has changed, but we don’t work like that. We will write again when we feel it and not before. Just because some asshole on TikTok who has never been in a band and wants to make money off the scene says you have to churn out an album every year doesn’t mean you should. I moved to Australia which makes things difficult, but at some point we will get together again to write and record, or the guys will find another bassist with my blessing. I would love for us to play a festival in the near future.
Are any of you involved in other bands or have any side projects going on?
[All]: Matt is recording a solo project with the Suburban Elvis Studio guys that he calls Nilbog and Rob just played Psycho Las Vegas with Kings Destroy. Amanda is writing riffs to share soon….
When did you first see Begotten directed by Edmund Elias Merhige and how would you describe it as it’s a really unforgettable experience, at least to me.
Amanda Topaz: Yeah, same. The movie came out shortly before we met and I remember discussing it with Matt – we both had the video cassette. It’s disturbing but hopeful at the same time. Definitely memorable.
That scene where the king cuts and disembowels himself, convulsing on a chair – like – I don’t know how guys feel when they play metal – women might be more intuitive — but playing loud, heavy bass on stage – I feel kind of like that – Like I’m cutting myself open to be a portal where demons or angels can emerge. Some of those demons are better left buried deep, but as long as the music makes people feel some emotion we’ve done our job. The film Begotten has influenced so many artists. The man who designed artwork for our self-titled 8-track ‘Begotten’ has a site called www.violetmasks.com. His art and music is largely influenced by that film as well. We love his images.
Have you found something new you would like to recommend to our readers?
Amanda Topaz: I’ve been into live music again – trying to support the clubs after they were closed for so long after Covid lockdowns. First band I saw after moving to Australia was Mountain Wizard Death Cult – I really love their vibe. I think they’re just a bunch of friends that jammed on the same four songs for years before they started recording – that’s what makes music good in my humble opinion.
I also love In the Company of Serpents out of Colorado live (haven’t heard their vinyl), and Amammoth Doom sounds great live and on vinyl.
It’s crazy how the scene has grown. Lots of great bands to choose from! It blows our minds that the seeds planted years ago are this huge tree with so many branches now. We are grateful that our music from so long ago is remembered and still has the power to move minds.
Klemen Breznikar
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