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An Interview with Gen of Genitorturers
Posted: Sunday, March 23, 2008
By: Matthew Johnson
Assistant Editor

From its very inception, Florida industrial metal act Genitorturers was geared for shock. Helmed by the enigmatic Gen, who founded the group while still in college, Genitorturers burst onto Florida's heavy music scene in the early '90s with a hard and heavy sound anchored by Gen's guttural vocals, but it was the band's incorporation of BDSM and body modification in their stage shows that drew the most attention. A full-length album, entitled 120 Days of Genitorture and produced by members of Skinny Puppy, followed in 1993. Since then, the band, which also includes David "Evil D" Vincent (formerly of Morbid Angel) on bass, KMFDM's Andy Selway on drums, and Bizz on guitar, has toured extensively and released albums touching on everything from the metal grooves of their debut to the electro-industrial remixes of their Machine Love EP.

For all the band's provocative imagery and theatrical stage performances, Genitorturers have also incorporated elements of social and psychological commentary throughout their career. Gen views the band's role as an almost shamanic one, with performances aimed at opening doors of perception and taking audiences outside the mundane world and into a new reality. Fans who haven't had the chance to see one of the band's intense live shows can get a glimpse of what she means on the band's new concert DVD, Live in Sin. Unlike many high-concept acts, though, Genitorturers' music can also be appreciated on the more base level of hard-hitting rock 'n roll music, an influence that, as Gen tells ReGen, rises to the fore on the band's soon-to-be-released album, Black Heart Revolution.

You have a new album coming out this year. Do you have a title for it yet?

Gen: It's called Black Heart Revolution.

Can you tell us anything about what it will sound like in terms of style?

Gen: Well, Genitorturers by our very nature are somewhat of a genre-defying band. We're pretty eclectic; we have a lot of influences. However, on this record I would have to say that we really went back to the original things that caused us to want to play music. Each one of the band members has a different frame of reference, and it's interesting. For me, some of the stuff that I grew up listening to was early punk and hardcore stuff and glam. David Vincent was a big fan of KISS and Alice Cooper and things of that nature, and Bizz was really into stuff like early Misfits and things like that. I'd say that while the record has some songs that are probably the heaviest we've done, at the same time there are definitely some punk elements to it. For me, from a vocal standpoint, it's probably the best thing I've ever done.

It sounds like you guys are really going to bring the rock.

Gen: Hands down, it's a great rock record, and that's the point. I think that with all the different types of music we really like, it really drives home the point that's it a good rock record, for sure.

Besides the rock and metal-influenced stuff, you've also done more electronic-oriented material, like Machine Love. Are you a fan of the more electronic and industrial side of things? Who are some of your favorite artists from that area?

Gen: The obvious one would be Skinny Puppy, being that they essentially produced our first record. I really, really like the guys, and I have a lot of respect for them. They were kind of genre-defying in the sense that they weren't that danceable. It wasn't that easy to listen to, and it was very conceptual. Then when you went to see them live, they just blew you away.

This will be your first new release of new studio material in just about five years. Is that because you're perfectionists, or because you're constantly on the road?

Gen: That's how we roll! It's a little bit of both. We do a lot of touring, and we've really been expanding our territories by going into places like Australia and opening up some new things. There's that, and then it's not done until we say it's done. We're not in any kind of rush. We're not beholden to any company. We are concentrating on making a record that's timeless, something that people can listen to over and over and over for years and not get sick of. To do that, you really have to take your time with it, you know? It's not something you just shit out in a week. There are some bands that put a record out every year, and quite honestly, maybe there's one good song on it. That's just not the kind of band we are. That's never been the kind of band we are. I started the band while I was in college, and we had some material that we perfected over the years, and our first record was really the same thing. There was some eclectic material that we'd been playing for a while live. That's another thing, too; because we're such a live band, we really like to get out there and play the music live, get the response from the audience, and live the music. I can really tell when a band goes into the studio and doesn't do that. For us, that's a big part of it, kind of living the music for a while.

There are songs on the record, like 'Devil in a Bottle,' which we just put the video of up on our MySpace page and which we just released the live version of on our Live in Sin DVD, and that's a song that we've been playing for a couple of years and our fans are really into, because it's one of those things where you don't even have to have the record to start singing it. It's one of those songs where by the first chorus, everyone's already singing along.

It also helps because it gives you a chance to play with stuff a little bit before putting down a definitive version on an album.

Gen: Even now, when people watch the video for 'Devil in a Bottle' on the Live in Sin DVD and then hear the studio version on the record...the studio version is on 11. It's fucking totally maxed out. That's a cool thing for us, to really perfect something. I think that's one of the songs that I can say I just killed myself on, by going live, living it, and then in the studio just pushing it as far as I could go.

Your bass player, Evil D, has started playing the upright bass. Has that effected your sound or the dynamic of the band, in concert or in the studio? How has it changed things?

Gen: It's definitely added to the dynamics a lot, just because the instrument itself is such a different instrument. It's a percussive instrument in a very different way, especially in the style that he's perfected, which is like a pull-off thing where you have like an attack on the tone. It really takes the bass to the next level. He plays that for three or four songs live, in the middle of the set, so it's not like we're replacing something 100 percent. It's just an extra, but it's a cool-looking bass. King Doublebass made this thing for us, and it just looks like a monster. It's got this huge skull on it. It's pretty evil.

You've stated on your Web site that the new album will continue the story of your last album, Sin City. Can you elaborate a little on the connection between the two albums?

Gen: The way the band has been from the inception does have a conceptual element. With the first record, 120 Days of Genitorture, we kind of opened the book by presenting this DeSadean world of genitorture, and that's also why our stage shows were very DeSadean-themed. With the next record, Sin City, we branched out into this character of the ringmaster in this tent revival in hell, and it really takes you on a psycho-sexual journey, opening these doors in this carnival. On Machine Love we delved more into the connection between man, machine and eroticism. Flesh Is the Law was almost like a hint to the next record, telling what happens when you have this character that's really taking people to places when the powers that be would rather those doors stay shut. You have somebody who's leading the path, who's carrying the torch of depravity, and that's why you have the song 'Lecher Bitch,' which says 'I am the lecher bitch / And I wear the "X" of castigation.' Because the powers that be are coming down upon me, at some point there has to be a revolution, a fight that takes place. As a woman in music and as someone who is outspoken on certain issues of sexuality, this is something that we live every day; what we do is really real in that regard. The new record, without giving away too much of the theme, kind of delves into my character and that backlash.

That's interesting, because when most people think of Genitorturers, they think of the stylized sexuality, but there's always been an element of socio-political commentary, too.

Gen: Definitely a philosophical element and an artistic element, and relations to literary things, as well. I've always drawn on those things based on my background; I went to school for pre-med, but my minor was in Eastern religion and philosophy, and I've always brought in a lot of things like that, becoming and acting as a shaman and being a guide. Maybe it's in modern day culture, and maybe people wouldn't have that connection, but for me some of the things we do are almost shamanistic in the sense that we carry people on a journey, and with our shows we invite them to experience things and take them to new levels.

A lot of your material also deals with stuff like original sin and how Christian patriarchal culture has used that as an excuse to oppress women.

Gen: People ask me all the time, 'Are you a feminist?' Am I a feminist in terms of pushing the envelope for women in our culture and in art? Absolutely. Do I consider myself a feminist politically? That's another discussion, but in art I embrace the feminist ideal in some regard. We're opening up doors for what is acceptable for a woman to say and do.

How well do you think audiences have received that? Given the fact that your music has been intentionally controversial from the get-go, would you say that most of your hardcore fans really get the philosophical aspects of your music, or do you find yourself getting misinterpreted a lot?

Gen: I know that our hardcore fans, especially our long-standing fans, absolutely get what we do. I think there probably is some question as to the depth of understanding among some of our newer fans or people who have just been introduced to the band, and maybe haven't seen the band live or gotten to experience the show yet. And there are a lot of people who just like the music for the music, but may not be interested in the other elements of the show, or vice-versa. For me, it's kind of a double-edged sword. The difference is that with some bands, what you see is what you get, but with us, the people that have dug deeper and looked for those things have come to embrace those things and really have that understanding of the band. For some people, it's just fun—ass and titties and fun and fetish—and that's fine, because we're about that! It's not like we're ramming something down people's throats. At the end of the day, we are entertainers, and we're out there to kind of suspend people's realities and take them to this other place so they have a great time. For people who want a little bit more, the depth is certainly there.

But you don't have to read all of DeSade's work to just enjoy your stuff as rock records.

Gen: It's kind of like the difference between KISS and Alice Cooper. KISS was really about the show and the make-up and the fun and 'let's party,' but Alice Cooper always had the depth, the conceptual elements. There were a lot of things represented on his records that were really going on in his life, and honestly I think we're closer to that.

When you first started the band, there was the intention to shock and provoke fans. Is it harder to do that now that you're established and have a hardcore fan-base? Is it harder to keep pushing that envelope for people who've been following you since that first album?

Gen: I think that when you're somebody that does push the envelope, when you're successful it's like an elastic band; you pull on one end, and eventually it creates tension and pulls things into you. When Genitorturers came out, you couldn't go to the mall and get your tongue pierced. None of that was going on. At that point, that was pretty shocking. Now the rubber band is snapping back and propelling things to the next level. For us, it was always more about telling a story than necessarily just shock, but there are elements to Genitorturers that got a lot of hype because of that.

Considering how heavily you've toured in Europe, Australia, America and everywhere, could you tell us about some of your favorite stories from on the road?

Gen: There's a lot of road to cover! There's definitely a lot of craziness that goes on all the time.

Does the kind of craziness that happens differ depending on what country you're in? Is the craziness in the USA different from Europe or Australia?

Gen: I'd have to say that in a place like Amsterdam, the craziness would include the fact that we're playing in Amsterdam. At one point, I was holding a strap-on penis in my hand while I was singing and talking to people and whatever. I hadn't put it on, even; I just had it in my hand. I'd climbed up on the speaker cabinet, and I'm singing and looking down at the audience and singing, and next thing I know I feel something: some guy had taken off all of his clothes, climbed the cabinet, and was literally mounting it while I was looking the other direction. That's probably more of an Amsterdam-specific situation.

It's probably not the kind of thing that happens a lot in the Midwest.

Gen: Oh, I don't know. On our Live in Sin DVD, there's one funny thing, which is that we ran into this lactating dominatrix, and that was in Omaha, Nebraska! She had her slaves and she had this whole gimmick where she was lactating. It was pretty interesting.

What do you have planned for after the album comes out? Is there going to be another massive tour?

Gen: Yes! Right now, we've been holding off on tour; we've been offered special events and festivals, and we're doing things here and there, but until we get the record out I really want to hold off on any sort of touring. I really want to have the new show completely in effect, and I'd love for people to have the record in their hands, because I absolutely know this is the best album I've ever done.

Is there anything else you'd like to share with our readers?

Gen: We've got our new DVD, which we're really excited about because it's the first thing we've done that really showcases what it feels like to be at a Genitorturers concert. We're really happy with the audio because we had a professional studio come in and record us live, and we're pretty proud of how it all came out. When the record comes out, we're going to be super excited to be able to play those songs live. They're definitely the best that we've ever written. 'Revolution,' which is the opening track on the album, is just absolutely, mind-numbingly brutal.