5 things you probably didn’t know about our 2009 demo album, “Parasite Inc.”
Hi everyone, Benni here!
Today, I’ve got something special to share with you. Since it’s now possible to get a physical copy of our rare demo album again (by supporting us at the VIP OF THE DEATH and CREW OF THE DEATH levels), this felt like the perfect time for a little backstory.
A signed copy of “Parasite Inc.” released in 2009
The cool vinyl look CD, which allowed us to print directly on the CD
So first—why is the demo album available again on Patreon?
Well, we recently discovered a box of leftover original printed inlays and booklets from the album—extras that were never used during the initial release back in 2009/2010. That means the copies available now are genuinely from that very first batch! The prints we’re using for this re-release are about 15 years old. All we had to do was find a CD printing service that could replicate the discs exactly the way we made them back then (I’ll get into that more later).
One little challenge at the start: we couldn’t find the original image file for the CD label. After digging through my old hard drives, I finally unearthed it deep in this folder path:
F:\G\Backup\Backup Unsortiert\Backup Unsortiert 1 (Verschiedenes)\Parasite Inc Stuff\Parasite Inc Druck
And for those of you who don’t speak German, that translates to:
F:\G\Backup\Backup Unsorted\Backup Unsorted 1 (Miscellaneous)\Parasite Inc Stuff\Parasite Inc Prints
Anyway, that’s the story behind why this piece of Parasite Inc. history is now available once again—through Patreon—for all of you who’ve been asking about it for years. Thanks for your support, and I hope you enjoy this little blast from the past!
1. We literally produced the CD ourselves
The entire recording process was done in Kai’s small room at his home. We used a tiny Roland TD-3 electronic drum kit (which we bought specifically for the recording) to create the MIDI drum tracks. Money was incredibly tight at the time, so we couldn’t afford better equipment.
Here’s the original making-of video we uploaded to YouTube back in the day:
Initially, we had some mixing assistance from someone called “Metalmixer,” but we weren’t entirely satisfied with the result, which is why we ended up re-mastering it ourselves later on. Our production skills were still in their infancy, and that’s the main reason we re-recorded all these songs for our next release, Time Tears Down.
Aside from the audio, we also physically produced the CDs ourselves. Without a record label and due to our tight budget, professional CD pressing wasn’t an option. We printed all the inlays and booklets ourselves and even bought a special CD printer, opting for the vinyl-CD look because it allowed us to print directly onto the CDs.
However, what initially seemed like a reasonable idea quickly became a nightmare. The CD-burning process was painfully slow, and we had to manually check every single CD for errors. Printing was even more tedious: ink smearing and misalignment issues were constant struggles.
2. This CD was the only release featuring our original ambigram logo
Our original logo, designed by my brother Sammy, was an ambigram—meaning you could read it the same way forwards and backwards. Sammy drew several versions by hand until we settled on one we liked. Eventually, we stopped using that logo because it was too difficult to read clearly on posters and flyers (though it was still easier than some death metal band logos, haha!). Additionally, it didn’t match the industrial, mechanical aesthetic we aimed for later. Interestingly, the PI emblem we still use today is actually derived from that first logo, and it remains an ambigram.
Early draft 1
Early draft 2
Original logo
3. Well, here’s something obvious: we were a lot younger back then!
At the time of recording this demo, we had our original lineup: Kai (doing the same things he does today), Benne (guitar), Paddy (bass), and myself. Paddy left shortly after the demo release, while Benne stayed in the band until Kev joined us (before the release of Time Tears Down).
And here’s another fun fact—although it wasn’t always funny at the time: Lou is the only bassist we’ve had who didn’t leave after releasing a new album. Rest assured, though, I’m pretty sure he’s happy, so I don’t think we’ll be facing that issue again!
Original lineup from left to right: Paddy, Benni, Kai, Benne
A promo from back in the day — talk about a trip down memory lane! We even had a MySpace page… feeling ancient yet?
4. Naming Chaos
On the original demo, a few song titles were slightly different compared to their final versions on Time Tears Down. For instance, “The End of Illusions” was originally titled “End of Illusion,” and “The Scapegoat” was simply “Scapegoat.” If that’s not enough, especially yours truly has repeatedly struggled with spelling “Armageddon” correctly—often proudly writing it as “Armaggedon” instead. (Even the recently released drum-cam video for “Armageddon in 16 to 9” includes this exact typo. Oops!)
This naming chaos has occasionally made things difficult—especially when dealing with GEMA registrations or even on Spotify, where we previously had to fix our own song titles. Oh, and speaking of chaos, the song “The Pulse of the Dead” on Time Tears Down was originally just “Pulse of the Dead” (which was also pre-released on a sampler under that title), because clearly adding “The” later made all the difference.
And as if that’s not chaotic enough, we actually printed booklets for Time Tears Down with the glorious typo “Time Teas Down.” Even worse, the vinyl edition of Live at EMFA proudly displayed the event as “EFMA”, and not a single soul noticed before printing. Yes, we’ve definitely got issues!
5. Hidden Messages
This fact was so unknown that even I didn’t know it—until Kai mentioned it while I was working on this post! (Or maybe I just forgot… it has been a few years.)
Since we produced the CDs entirely on our own—burning them one by one, printing the labels, and assembling the booklets and inlays—there was a bit of room for mischief. And Kai, seizing the moment, occasionally scribbled hidden messages and tiny sketches on the inside of the inlays while putting everything together.
Only a few hundred of those demo CDs were ever made, which already makes them quite rare. And the ones with Kai’s little doodles? Well, those are just a bit more special. If you happen to own one of those, you’ve got a nice little extra that most people never even knew existed.
