New Zealand's death metal destroyers Ulcerate speak ahead of their upcoming Terrorizer-sponsored UK run.

This will be the dealers in technical evil's first ever headline run in Europe, and as they've only played two shows in this country before, this is a tour to be seriously excited about, and not to be missed. Their tour as a whole is with French blackened flayers Svart Crown, but the London date will be part of Sonic Obliteration 2012, an all-dayer at the Purple Turtle, including Dead Beyond Buried, Nexus Inferis' first ever UK show (read more about them in the next issue of Terrorizer), Unfathomable Ruination (a recent band of the day right here) and FIVE more bands. Don't miss it.

We caught up with Ulcerate drummer Jamie Saint Merat to find out more about their tour.

February in the UK is cold and wet, and everyone's broke from Christmas. How would you persuade anyone who's in doubt that they should go to your shows?
"I think the pairing of Svart Crown and ourselves is going to make for a very fucking cool show. We're not a band that will be passing through your area every few months - if anyone is remotely interested in what we do, this really is the only opportunity until we return for the next album."

Travelling all the way from New Zealand must be a logistical challenge, to say the least. Is this tour a big risk for the band?
"Not really, we're well aware of the financial situation and we have completely realistic outlooks. We've always funded the band ourselves and we all work day-jobs to make this viable, so nothing frightens us in that regard."

You're playing 23 shows in 24 days around Europe. How's your stamina?
"Fine thanks! We rehearse most nights of the week, and for twice as long as a set typically, so that's never even remotely and issue. Europe last time was a walk in the park in that regard."

What are you most looking forward to about playing over here?
"Playing for people who would otherwise never see us. International touring for us is not nearly as frequent as a lot of other bands due to our isolation, so the chance for us to play for people on the other side of the world is all that much more unique. Honestly, the whole experience of the tour is going to be great - shows, travelling and sight-seeing, meeting cool people."

How do British crowds compare with New Zealand audiences?
"Having only played two British shows in our existence, it's hard to give an honest assessment, particularly when both shows were in support of Nile/Grave/Krisiun, so the crowds weren't necessarily our crowds, so to speak. But in general, the reaction we get internationally is a lot more overwhelming and positive than here. You have to remember that NZ is a tiny country, and we've been actively playing shows for a decade, so we're literally playing to the same people time and time again. That will wear anyone out. But overseas we have more or less no live track record, so that's a lot more exciting, both for audiences and for ourselves."

What can fans expect from Ulcerate on this tour? Have you got anything special planned?
"The set list will be a good mix of material from the last two albums, and possibly a track off of 'Of Fracture and Failure'. It's going to be great to give the 'Destroyers...' songs a good airing, as we've really got them sounding as true to the album as possible."

Ulcerate and Svart Crown will play the following shows in the UK (full EU dates on the poster at the top of the page):
February 5 - London, Purple Turtle (Sonic Obliteration)
February 6 - Edinburgh, Bannermans
February 7 - Liverpool, The Masque
February 8 - Birmingham, Asylum 2