tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77485063589596929952024-03-16T02:10:18.320+01:00We Wither - Exclusive Metal InterviewsTravis Bicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101777142693557473noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748506358959692995.post-76659672579229128492013-03-04T12:02:00.000+01:002013-03-04T12:02:47.003+01:00YEAR OF THE GOAT ‒ Celebration of the Goat<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Sweet Sweden, what would metal be without your bastard sons who since the dawn of mankind have haunted us with guitar-worship madness? Death metal, black metal, heavy metal – you name it, they deliver it. Straight out of Norrköping, there is another demon rising. Its devilish retro hard rock, or occult rock if you prefer, is bound to shake you all night long. Its debut full-length, "Angels' Necropolis", was released at the end of 2012 on Van Records. Humble goat's servant and guitarist Per Broddesson spoke to We Wither to reveal all.</b></div>
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<b>How did Year Of The Goat get started? Were you in other bands before?</b><br />Thomas Sabbathi, our vocalist/guitarist, had had the idea of forming an occult inspired ’60s/’70s band since around 2006. Him and I first met through our other band Griftegård and once we got to know each other we realized we had the same passion for old, and sometimes obscure, rock music. At the time he was still playing in a band called Bokor and they were looking to replace their guitarist and I volunteered for the job. Without ever having one rehearsal we basically got started on writing new songs and Year Of The Goat was formed. From the beginning we had Fredrik Hellerström on drums so you could say that the three of us are the forming members. We have had a few different guitar players and bass players passing thru before settling down on our current lineup that has been stable for about a year now and we are a tight crew. Thomas is the main writer for both music and lyrics, and once he presents more or less complete songs we start rehearsing them all adding our own flavours to the mix, sort of like filtering through the rest of us.<br />Some of us are still playing in bands like the aforementioned Griftegård, Misericordia (Fredrik and Don Palmroos), and Tobias Resch and Poppe are also playing in different bands when given time and opportunity but our main focus lies with YotG. Previous bands are, to name a few, Wolverine, Bokor, Tor-Peders Kapell, House of Aquarius.<br /><br /><b>Who is the lyrics-writer for YOTG? Do you write them collectively? Is there a main-theme behind your lyrics? Is any of it connected to historical Swedish heritage?</b><br />Without question Thomas is our main lyricist. As much as I would love to be able to write lyrics I have tried and learnt that my strength lies with playing the guitar, and singing background vocals at best! Come to think of it I've always wanted to be a drummer as well... go figure.<br />I wouldn't go as far as saying that we have a main-theme per se, sure our basis is found in occultism, religion, movies, books etc so that's where our theme is, but it's nothing planned as such but more an extension of our personal interests and then we add our own imagination to the mix. In a way our latest album "Angels' Necropolis" is based on occultism/satanism but if you read the storyline you'll notice that it's a storyline that we (Thomas) came up with by ourselves. When he's writing lyrics, and to a certain extent music, he (who is the one of us most deeply involved with occultism) puts himself in a trancelike state and lets the ideas flow to him. We have no connection to any historical Swedish heritage, we let other bands write about Vikings.</div>
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<b>Morgan of Marduk recommended your band to me and I'm curious if you ever played a show with Marduk or Death Wolf (ex-Devils Whorehouse), since you come from the same city?</b><br />And right he was about recommending us! Sorry, I just had to haha... We actually played a rather large gig last year along with Marduk, and Misericordia who was the opening act so Fredda and Don had to work double shifts that evening. It was in our hometown of Norrköping at an old theater and it was a blast. Initially we were a bit... not really nervous but we were wondering how we would be accepted between two black metal bands. Sure, if you know about us we have our occult side but musically we are pretty far from Marduk. We needn’t have worried one bit though, we had a great reception and a large part of the crowd were singing along to a lot of songs so it was great. There's quite a bit of footage of all bands that evening out on youtube somewhere.<br />We are indeed friends with Marduk (hell, my brother Lars is their current drummer) and also with Ofermod, Death Wolf, Nefandus, Sargatanas Reign, PG.Lost and a lot of other bands. With Griftegård we even used to borrow their rehearsal space for our rehearsals. We have recorded plenty of times with different bands in Marduk's bass player Devo's Endarker studio. Even if Norrköping is considered a large city by Swedish standards, it's really not that big and musicians of all the bands tend to if not know each other well at least know of each other. It's a healthy scene up here.<br /><br /><b>Norrköping is not the biggest Swedish city but apparently some very good bands are located there. Could you say how the metal scene was in Norrkoping 10-20 years ago and how is it at the moment?</b><br />Well, I didn't live in Norrköping 10-20 years ago and to be honest still don't but looking at bands that have come from Norrköping and it's surroundings over the years I'd like to say that it's always been a healthy scene up there. The city itself, like many other Swedish cities, is helping bands with rehearsal spaces and recording facilities so there's a ton of bands with a different level of competence. At the moment you have all of the aforementioned bands and a hell of a lot more that are really good. Let's hope that more get the attention they need.</div>
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<b>Bands like Ghost, In Solitude, The Devil's Blood and Jex Thoth are all great but in my opinion the originator of the occult rock genre is Roky Erickson and his solo 1981 record "The Evil One". Would you agree?</b><br />Actually, no! But that's probably because I'm an old narrow-minded geezer who is always looking backwards in music history. As great as "The Evil One" is, so you definitely have a point there, you can look back to the ‘60s for Arthur Brown, Screaming Jay Hawkins who were perhaps more theatrical than genuinely occult and most media always point to Coven's "Witchcraft Destroys Minds & Reaps Souls" LP and even if they rather immediately toned down their image on later releases, for me this would be the starting point. Being an album that I myself have had with me for a very long time, I always point to this release. You have the imagery, song titles, even a black mass on the album and so forth. It's just great that we at the moment have Jex, The Devil's Blood (actually, just read the other day that they are no more). For me In Solitude and the likes are way more heavy metal and I would probably link them to Mercyful Fate and nothing wrong in that. MF were great!</div>
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<b>What bands and albums or maybe books and films mainly influenced and shaped the YOTG style?</b><br />This is not an easy question to answer since the answer probably lies in all the accumulated musical interests all of us has had since early childhood. As we all know heavy metal and dark imagery has always gone hand in hand, so I think that, at least speaking for myself, with all this imagery and on occasions songs about the devil it was easy to spark a real interest in the occult. The same would go for horror movies, HP Lovecraft and other mainstream books and media. What we all have in common is that we all had music with us from an early age, be it The Beatles and old funk, ‘60s psych and whatever was around in our parents musical library. For me, I got my first Kiss LP at age 4 and quickly moved on to all kinds rock/metal through older friends and friends’ older brothers. I am a huge collector of NWOBHM and private pressed metal (readers: sell me your collections now!) so my own playing style is mostly influenced by Michael Schenker and other melodic guitarists over to technical progressive metal even if I also love some early punk and hardcore (as it was in the early ‘80s I should point out) all flavored with the darker side of things. Not saying that is what I sound like, but that is what inspires me. If you throw this in a mix with movies such as "Dunwich Horror", "Holy Mountain", occult writers and essays and our combined musical creativity you end up with YotG. It all comes naturally to us so we never set out to "sound like this or that", and I think this is our strength as well. </div>
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<b>Do you think of YOTG as a modern band reinventing classic hard rock or rather as a pure homage to a style that will never be out of date?</b><br />Probably a little bit of both with the emphasis on a modern band reinventing classic hard rock. Perhaps not reinventing as such, but rather not afraid of playing certain riffs or ideas. In this sense we are perhaps closer to classic progressive rock. As anyone has probably figured out by now we are huge fans of the ‘70s rock genres, but we don't want to be limited to only that. We feel that that songs take us where they need to go. And great music will never go out of style, even if some productions make some albums seem very out of date by now haha...<br /><b><br />To achieve that ‘70's/’80s sound that you have, do you use classic amps, heads and guitars? Is it more the gear or rather the studio production that make you sound classic?</b><br />Ah, we love vintage gear! Of course it's probably easier to achieve an instant vintage sound with vintage amplifiers, but what it comes down to in the end is actually your playing ability. We used a variety of vintage amps and new state-of-the-art amps for this recording but we also have a lot to thank our recording engineer for. One of the things we have realized is the usage of gain or for the recording purpose the usage of as little gain as possible. If you listen to old classic rock albums and think about it there's really not a lot of gain happening so that is something we were careful to use. And considering we are three guitarists, and at times doubling our guitar parts it could've ended up really blurred had we used too much gain or distortion for those who are not into playing the guitar. Based on the gear we use we tend to be a little heavier live than on record, which suits us fine. For what gear we use nowadays we have stepped away from using vintage gear because of one simple thing: reliability! Before I changed to what I use now my old amps (now sold) tended to spend more time being repaired than actually played so it was time to find a nice middle-ground. Both Thomas and I have now switched to Marshall 100W plexis (re-issues) which are absolute monsters when it comes to volume (not convenient when playing live but cool to have!) and the only way to make them distort is to push the volume, so we have boxes at our rehearsal filled with different overdrive pedals and what not... To answer your question, it's a combination of both.</div>
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<b>You pay of lot of attention to how your album covers and t-shirts look, it's all very well designed, dark and killer. Do you have a specific person who does the designs for you or is it the work of many people?</b><br />Thank you. We mostly use two or three guys when it comes to executing our ideas, but a lot of the ideas come from us. Come to think of it we have a little crew of fans and friends who come up with ideas when asked for input as well, and our label has done some design as well. But, I should point out that nothing passes without being approved by us! Depending on how you look at it, I think it's important for bands nowadays to have a united image with thousands of bands existing, if you want to be noticed as a real band and not just a bunch of people being on stage for the fun of it. Take Ghost as an example - sure I really like their LP, but would they have had such an impact on the media without their image? Not saying that every band needs to look like Slipknot, but bands should look like rock stars. I know I know, we don't really look like that. I guess I need an overhaul... time to start fixing an Yngwie Malmsteen costume haha.<br /><br /><b>The Devil's Blood played a huge tour in the USA with Watain and Behemoth. Do you also like to play with very extreme bands or do you prefer to play with more classic hard rock heavy metal bands?</b><br />We take on everything thrown our way. Since we played with Marduk, we have also played with Necrophobic, which would be the most extreme bands so far, and we have not had any problem with this, neither image-wise nor crowd-wise so if offered a tour with any extreme band we'd gladly jump at the opportunity. From Muse to Megadeth and Morbid Angel, we'll be sure to kick some ass! Book us and we will be there.</div>
Travis Bicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101777142693557473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748506358959692995.post-21816047285199605202013-02-06T09:58:00.000+01:002013-02-06T09:58:55.171+01:00EVOKEN – Between Worlds and Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>When I originally came across Evoken's crushing 2005 record "Antithesis of Light" my world was grinded in a matter of minutes. Perhaps it was one of the most important music-related moments of my life. The New Jersey-based funeral doom metal quintet have since released the masterpiece "A Caress of the Void" in 2007 and the latest pummeling opus "Atra Mors", which came out in July 2012 on Profound Lore. The band went through some line-up changes and at the moment guitarist/vocalist John Paradiso and drummer Vince Verkay are the only original members of the band that was formed twenty years ago. Nevertheless, Evoken are in their prime with the success of their fifth full-length and finally some more exposure from the media. Vince Verkay spoke to We Wither to tell us where the band is at the beginning of 2013.<br /><br />There are three new members in the band since the release of the previous record "A Caress of the Void". Did that affect the writing process for "Atra Mors"?</b><br />
Absolutely. Every album we have written, all members had some input into the writing, but this album was truly an effort on everyone’s part. We all have similar influences and enjoyment of various forms of music, but each member also has their own unique interests. With that being the case, it definitely gave this album the upper hand.</div>
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<b>Does writing 10 minute-long songs take longer than shorter tracks? Do you tend to improvise a lot in the studio or is it all riffs prepared before and put in order?</b><br />
Naturally, a 10 minute plus song will take longer to write than a 3 to 4 minute song, but we never compromise. So even our shorter tracks or the various instrumentals we have written over the years have taken some time to write. We always make sure we are 100% satisfied with every riff, every song before we decide any song is completed.<br />
We do improvise in the studio as well. Before we even book the studio time, we prepare and rehearse each song as much as often as we can. We make sure that the foundation for each song is built. The reality is, we really do not have the luxury of going into the studio with half-baked material. We have to make absolutely sure each song is completed with regards to the writing. Since we don’t have the advantage of having our own studio, we have to book and pay studio costs via the record label, thus we are limited to a budget.<br />
At the same time, we don’t allow ourselves to be painted into a corner, sticking only to what we have planned for each song. Once we have the songs themselves recorded, it’s when we begin the mixing process where there is a fair amount of improvisation. We also record additional pieces of music that someone in the band may have written after the fact, which we can attempt to incorporate into the album. It can also be something as innocent as coming across a mistake. What I mean is, we could be mixing a song, hearing it without a certain instrument being brought up in the mix, only to discover that leaving out a guitar section at one point, only to bring the guitar in maybe halfway through one measure creates more of an impact in atmosphere. Or simply recorded a heavy door being closed, hearing it before the song starts, only to wind up using it in a song, things of that nature. Those are just two small examples of how things change once we start recording a new album.</div>
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<b>Extreme doom metal seems to be in its prime at the moment, with such strong records as "Atra Mors" or Mournful Congregation's "The Book of Kings", Esoteric's "Paragon of Dissonance" and Mourning Beloveth's "Formless". Would you agree with that? Do you feel there is a bigger demand for such music than, for example, ten years ago?</b><br />
I agree 100%. The genre has gone through so many changes in the last decade. I think it’s definitely beneficial that this genre experienced these changes at a methodical pace, no surprise there. It’s not a genre that simply exploded overnight. The bands that blazed a new path for the genre, handing things off to newer bands that took those various elements and adding their own touch. With each change came with it more fans and each subsequent change attracted even more fans.<br />
The demand has also definitely increased. A decade ago, we never would have attracted the attention “Atra Mors” has to this point. I don’t believe any of us would have experienced playing in larger venues or stages, or witnessed the increase in attendance at our shows ten years ago. For Evoken, ten years ago we would see maybe 20-30 people attending our shows, and that would be on a good night. Now, we’re seeing what we thought impossible, to sell a show out.<br />
I also think it’s reflective of the times we live in. Movies, music, books are all a product of the period they exist in. There is no short supply of depression [in] this day and age. With the extremes of our climate, the failing economy, the increase in wars and illness, be it consciously or subconsciously, people gravitate toward the music that represents that period of time.<br />
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<b>Did you notice more attention being paid to your records in the last couple of years? Did the wider metal public finally learn to appreciate extreme doom metal?</b><br />
We definitely have seen more attention swing our way the last few years, the last couple of albums. I really can’t say there’s any one reason why metal fans are more aware of the genre. I believe every band in doom has been consistent in dedication and passion toward this music. I think it ranges from the internet giving us a boost, allowing the music to reach a far wider audience to people growing tired of listening to the increase in bands playing more technical or playing at one extremely fast pace. I believe if you asked ten people that same question, you will probably get seven different answers.</div>
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<b>In January 2013 Evoken participated in the Decibel Magazine 100th issue show in Philadelphia with Pig Destroyer, Converge, Tombs, Repulsion and Municipal Waste. How did it go? Do you feel comfortable on a bill with much different bands to Evoken?</b><br />
It went fantastic. Everyone treated us with extreme generosity, all the bands tried to help each other out with equipment use, and every band was very friendly. The turnout and reception we received was incredible. We were blown away by the reception we received.<br />
We feel very comfortable playing with bands that are at opposite ends of the spectrum from us. I think it allows us to really stick out, it gives us the opportunity to play in front of an audience that, more than likely, would never have attended an Evoken show. It’s something that allows us the platform to gain new fans as well. Don’t get me wrong, we absolutely enjoy playing with other doom bands or festivals, but after a while you can wind-up getting lost in the pack, I think at times you can lose that impact depending on where you’re playing. So, we welcome the notion of playing on line-ups very different from us.<br />
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<b>You recorded Paradise Lost's "Rotting Misery" for the Decibel Magazine vinyl series. Was it recorded at the same time as "Atra Mors" or did you do it later because of the offer from Decibel?</b><br />
We recorded it around the same time. The offer to record “Rotting Misery” came a few months prior to entering the studio to record “Atra Mors”. We are so appreciative not only for everything Decibel has done for us, but to also get the opportunity to record a legendary track, from a legendary band, and include that cover as a part of Decibel’s monumental 100th edition.</div>
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<b>Evoken doesn't tour that much and quite sporadically visit Europe, so how did your lives look between the release of "A Caress of the Void" in 2007 and recording the new album?</b><br />
Well, we are always trying to improve our live sound, attempting to come as close to the sound of the album, only heavier. We’re also trying to improve on any visuals on stage as well to increase our live atmosphere, so things are changing, albeit slowly, but we have so many ideas, some realistic, some not that we are looking to bring into our live environment.<br />
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<b>Do you ever shorten your songs when performing live to be able to present more tracks?</b><br />
No, not really. I think there has been two events where we altered our songs to fit more material into the allotted time.<br />
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<b>Though there are some extreme doom metal bands all over the world, the States, England, Australia, Russia and Scandinavia, it remains one of metal's smallest sub-genres. And actually only a few, Evoken amongst them, do it on the top level. Do you take pride in being one of the few?</b><br />
We take intense pride in being recognized by fans and bands all over the world, it’s something we will never take for granted.</div>
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<b>Could you point out the records or specific songs that in your opinion influenced or created extreme doom metal?</b><br />
That’s really, for me, such a difficult question to provide a solid answer on. I couldn’t really present certain songs as absolute representation since there is a mish-mash of different elements in various songs that I believe influenced us anyway. I would have to point out Thergothon "Stream from the Heavens", Disembowelment "Transcendence into the Peripheral", Winter "Into Darkness", in a non-direct way Type O Negative "Slow, Deep and Hard" and Autopsy "Mental Funeral".<br />
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<b>Are Evoken lyrics metaphors and simply the fruit of your imagination or do they refer to your own emotions or experiences? Could you choose one song from "Atra Mors" and describe what affected those exact words?</b><br />
They are a bit of both, really. I cannot speak for the others, but my lyrics tend to be more metaphoric than reality or true life experiences. I tend to avoid interfering with the listener’s take on any of my lyrics with the definition of various lyrics I write. I like for the listener to create their own world, their own interpretation of the lyrics. If anything, I would say the lyrics for “Atra Mors” are more direct in creating a setting or story than past lyrics. So, I’m going to remain consistent in my thinking when it comes to the lyrics and keep silent on any meaning or what affected the writing behind any lyrics. To be honest, I am more interested in hearing a listener describe the setting they experience when reading any particular song’s lyrics.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bPsYmis3858/URERTYxDp0I/AAAAAAAABLQ/sWAD-SKEABY/s1600/evoken+copyright+DerekBrad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="368" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bPsYmis3858/URERTYxDp0I/AAAAAAAABLQ/sWAD-SKEABY/s640/evoken+copyright+DerekBrad.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fot. by Derek Brad</td></tr>
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<b>No other metal sub-genre than extreme doom produces such an overwhelming and hypnotic atmosphere where listener travels between worlds and time. Is playing Evoken songs such a deep and moving experience as well?</b><br />
Without one single doubt they are, as I am sure the others would answer the same. That’s what drives us, what keeps us attempting to create songs just as intense in experience for each of us as prior songs. When we play these songs, it doesn’t matter if it’s live or in rehearsals or just writing them, there is a surge of emotion that flows within me. It’s the hair standing up on my arms, or back of my neck, the intense anger or hatred toward humanity I feel that brings my breathing to a deep and slow pace guiding me to play harder behind the kit. I equal it to an intense high I am chasing every time we play. There is nothing more gratifying for me than experiencing the surge when we are creating a new song, which allows my mind to focus all that hatred and dark emotions toward humanity and expressing into the physical, something tangible. I never want to lose that gift.</div>
Travis Bicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101777142693557473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748506358959692995.post-9609856379014662842012-07-23T21:17:00.000+02:002012-07-23T21:17:18.515+02:00MARDUK - Burning Black Flame<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Swedish group Marduk, commanded by its only original member, guitarist and main composer Morgan Håkansson, is a fine example of an underground band, which through its impeccable consistency, dedication and persistence made it to the extreme elite already years ago. May 2012 saw the release of the band's crushing twelfth full-length "Serpent Sermon", their first release for Century Media. It's their fourth record since the departure of the charismatic frontman Legion in 2003. Completed with new vocalist Mortuus, "Angel Plague", "Rom 5:12", "Wormwood" and the latest opus surely belong to Marduk's strongest offerings to date. Morgan spoke to We Wither to explain what fuels his desire for metal destruction, why is it important to tour and his vast interest in history.</b></div>
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<b>You were a 17-year-old kid in 1990. The Marduk biography says that you wanted to create the most brutal and blasphemous metal act ever. What kind of person were you at the time?</b></div>
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Back then I was very young and hungry. I never really wanted to be the most blasphemous because I didn't want to compete with anyone. Around 1990 a lot of metal bands became mellow and mainstream, which we really disliked. With Marduk we wanted to bring back that darkness and hate to metal music, which we think is essential.</div>
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<b>After twenty years on stage and twelve albums how do you maintain the energy and will to keep doing what you're doing? What drives you, is it anger, passion, a need to prove something?</b></div>
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I feel a black flame burning inside me, which fuels everything I do and it drives my actions with Marduk. It keeps me hungry and eager to stay on course in my long dark journey that started over two decades ago. I'm inspired by the people I play with, we inspire each other and push ourselves to do extreme music. Together we create magic and we let the energy loose which affects our sound. It's a pure reflection of our spirits. I don't feel a need to prove anything. I never experience that.</div>
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<b>Since Mortuus joined Marduk in 2004, he seems to have had a huge impact on the band. You recorded songs which correspond very well with what he's doing with Funeral Mist, for example, tracks such as "Accuser/Opposer", "Coram Satanae" and "Funeral Dawn". Did the results or your collaboration top your expectations?</b></div>
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It absolutely passed my expectations but from the beginning I knew we would be able to do great things together since Mortuus is as eager and passionate for extreme music as I am. He has got such a unique voice so the fact that some of Marduk songs sound a little bit like Funeral Mist is natural and doesn't bother me at all. I think we’ve achieved fantastic things so far and there is so much more to follow in the future. We constantly work and even only a month or two after releasing "Serpent Sermon" we have already started writing for the next record.</div>
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<b>Does replacing the original logo on the cover of "Serpent Sermon" mean anything or is it just refreshing the band's image?</b></div>
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Some people asked me why we dumped our original logo and that's a mistake because we never got rid of it. On this album we decided to use the alternative logo, which by the way has been in use for some time now, since it looked better with this particular cover art. The original Marduk logo is something I'm very proud of and we would never dump it. I actually hate when bands do that. Possessed got rid of the white inverted cross from their logo when they released "Beyond the Gates", which really sucked.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ItdHTUF-iUw/UA2fDqoupPI/AAAAAAAABJo/edc0k-vZbiI/s1600/marduk-morgan-herman1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ItdHTUF-iUw/UA2fDqoupPI/AAAAAAAABJo/edc0k-vZbiI/s640/marduk-morgan-herman1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fot. by Herman Stehouwer</td></tr>
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<b>Do you write and perform sensing there is pressure on your work?</b></div>
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I don't feel any pressure at all. I just try to get out what I have inside and channel it through music. I do what I think is right for myself and Marduk and I believe in my creativity, that's what artists do.</div>
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<b>You start your hell of a European tour in August 2012 in Poland and finish it after over forty dates in October in Poland again. You also recorded the live album "Warschau" here. Is this a coincidence or is Poland more important to you somehow?</b></div>
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Yes, it is important. One of the reasons for it is that our booking agency Massive Music is from Poland, so it's great to be able to start and finish the tour there. It's very good logistically for us as well. This tour is indeed a huge one. It's 40 shows in 48 days. I have always been interested in Warsaw since it's a place connected to the history of many wars, not only the Second World War. I'm very interested in the history of wars between Sweden and Poland in the sixteenth century. I read a lot about that period. It has always been a great inspiration to me. The idea to record a live show in Warsaw was fantastic since it's a historical city and we always had very successful tours in Poland and we have extremely dedicated fans over there.</div>
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<b>You have always toured a lot around the world. Ten or fifteen years ago Eastern Europe was a place where fans were really crazy and all the bands were talking about it. This was also the case in South America. Do you still feel the extreme and exciting hunger for metal amongst the fans now as in the ‘90s? Are metal-heads as devoted as they used to be?</b></div>
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Its hard to say, it gets better or worse from time to time. Actually I think it's getting better again lately. Wherever we go, Europe, America or Asia, we always meet very dedicated and fanatical fans. That's why we push each other to go to new places and reach as many new countries and cities as possible. It's very exciting to play in new places. It doesn't even matter if there is a huge crowd or only a bunch of people. Eastern Europe was always the best place to tour, it's like a highlight but there are awesome fans all over the world.</div>
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<b>You have so much material that it must be difficult to choose the set-list each time you tour. Do you ever think about which songs fans would like to hear or do you not compromise at all in this field?</b></div>
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We always perform only the tracks we want to and don’t compromise. For me what's important is the present. I believe that the band is as strong as its last album. I don't want to live in the past, though we play some older songs too because we are proud of the older material as well. My idea for live shows is to play as many new songs as possible. I like to present the new material live whenever we go on tour so we usually put quite a few new tracks in the set.</div>
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<b>Lots of musicians joined and left Marduk over the years. Supposedly so far you’ve had three vocalists, three guitarists, two bass players and three drummers who are no longer in the band. According to your experience, what position is the most difficult to replace?</b></div>
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I would say it's the vocalist. In my opinion, to find a charismatic frontman who is determined and 100% devoted is definitely a very hard thing. There are lots of awesome guitarists and drummers around but good vocalists are rare. When I recruited Mortuus I didn't want him to be a copy of Legion and was sure that he would be able to lift Marduk to another level because of his extraordinary energy and dedication. His voice is so unique that you recognize it right away when you put the record on. I don't think that's been the case with any of our drummers, though they are all good musicians.</div>
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<b>Most metal bands have two guitarists but not Marduk, apart from your early years when Devo was a guitar player. Do you think playing with one guitar makes metal more straightforward?</b></div>
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In a way it does, though it can sometimes sound a little empty. If you ask me about the current line-up, I have to say I feel very confident with one guitar right now. The whole band is very tight and focused at the moment. It's the best line-up we’ve had since forever.</div>
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<b>Marduk often speaks about Nazi Germany and the Second World War. You seem to have a lot in common with death metal veterans Vader in that field. Is your interest in history one of the reasons you have toured together so many times?</b></div>
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Not in the beginning. One of the reasons we toured together a lot is that we have the same promoter. We became very good friends with Vader and playing with them is always a pleasure and a good chance to spend time talking about some aspects of the history since Peter and I are both interested in lots of similar things, such as the Second World War. We often discuss the history books we read and films we’ve watched. Once when we were on a European tour and we had a day off in France, Peter and I went to the panzer museum, which was just great.</div>
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<b>A relatively small population of ten million Swedes has been able to produce an endless number of groundbreaking and essential metal bands. Scandinavia also has a very high percentage of people who listen to metal. What do you think is the reason for this and would you dare to explain it?</b></div>
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For some reason, it seems everybody here is somehow involved in a scene, playing in a band or doing something connected with metal. For example, my hometown of Norrköping has around 90,000 inhabitants but there are quite a few awesome bands around here. Let's mention the occult hard rock band Year of the Goat or the doom group Griftegård. And there are more. I can’t really explain why Scandinavians love metal so much, but the extreme stuff might simply be in our blood.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U1yV476Y3Ww/UA2fJ6ir4aI/AAAAAAAABKA/DtMlX_XCNh0/s1600/marduk-mortuus-herman1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="384" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U1yV476Y3Ww/UA2fJ6ir4aI/AAAAAAAABKA/DtMlX_XCNh0/s640/marduk-mortuus-herman1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fot. by Herman Stehouwer</td></tr>
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<b>Do you care if Marduk is called a black or death metal band? Is it important to you to be labeled as black metal?</b></div>
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The line between death and black metal is pretty vague nowadays. For example, I understand Morbid Angel's "Altars of Madness" as a black metal record but most people would say it's a typical death metal album. I personally think about Marduk as a black metal band but, honestly, I don't really care what people call it. It's extreme metal with a strong dedication to all things dark and satanic and that's all what matters.</div>
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<b>Your other band Death Wolf (previously known as Devil's Whorehouse) is clearly influenced by Danzig. Taking a look at your tattoo, it is easy to figure out that you are a huge fan of his work. Are the Misfits and Danzig bands which originally got you interested in dark, disturbing music? You also played with Danzig a couple of times…</b></div>
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Originally it was Samhain, his band between the Misfits and Danzig, that got my attention but at the time I was so much more interested in very extreme metal so I only rediscovered and got hooked up with his albums later on. Danzig is a huge inspiration to me. In a way, I see my reflection in him. He never cared what people were saying about his music and never changed because the press was criticizing him. He always kept doing his thing, following his own path. In that sense we are similar. We had an opportunity to tour twice, in 2002 and 2010. I really appreciate that we had a chance to do it, we felt privileged. Being able to see one of your favourite bands every night is amazing.</div>
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<b>What's up with the as yet unreleased EP "Portraits Of Dead Children"?</b></div>
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It was a very primitive recording. Done with not the best equipment at a time when Legion and B.War had left the band after "World Funeral". I still have it somewhere and maybe one day I will put it on our website or maybe go back to the studio to restore it but I don't have exact plans for it at the moment.</div>
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<b>What message are you sending to the world with your alias Evil?</b><br />
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I don't think evil is a thing you can or should explain, you need to figure it out for yourself. That nickname was strictly connected to what I was doing in Abruptum. I didn't really choose that name. It was given to me by the former band members All and It. With Marduk I never use a nickname, I don't need it, I know who I am.</div>
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<b>There is a saying that you should know your enemy to be able to fight it. Does being a radical antichristian and not knowing the Bible and its message make sense to you?</b></div>
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You definitely should know your enemy if you want to fight it right. The Bible inspires me in so many ways. My interest in reading came originally in school. First it was rather in history books, then it was the Bible. Later over the years it developed into something bigger. What really drives me is to represent the exact opposite to what Christianity stands for.</div>Travis Bicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101777142693557473noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748506358959692995.post-43209991752214152142012-04-17T10:24:00.000+02:002012-04-17T10:24:45.571+02:00ESOTERIC - Voices from a Distant Place<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wtEaAn_ZEo8/T40mpc_ZCOI/AAAAAAAABG8/i7P593uq87w/s1600/Esoteric+logo+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="77" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wtEaAn_ZEo8/T40mpc_ZCOI/AAAAAAAABG8/i7P593uq87w/s400/Esoteric+logo+.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>There are only a couple of bands as important to the extreme doom metal scene as the English legion Esoteric. Starting their crusade across the oblivion of the darkest of metal arts in 1992, the Birmingham-based band now has six full-lengths under its belt, the last three of which were released by the French label Season of Mist. The newest offering "Paragon of Dissonance" and the previous "The Maniacal Vale" indisputably moved Esoteric to the forefront of the genre. The band's vocalist, guitar player, composer and producer Greg Chandler talked to We Wither about the secrets of the doom rituals.<br />
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Like 2008's "The Maniacal Vale", the new album "Paragon of Dissonance" is a double cd effort. Do you feel confident that you can keep the attention of the listener for almost 100 minutes? Or maybe the record is not necessarily meant to be listened in its entirety?</b><br />
Well, we prefer to release long albums as the song writing is usually quite varied and so the songs can sound and feel rather different from one another. For us it is more interesting to record more material to bridge the gap between each album. The listener can listen to the album as they see fit, whether it’s just a song or two at a time, one disc or even both discs.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TVL821krpXQ/T40ms74TJoI/AAAAAAAABHE/JKCeuOVai_E/s1600/Esoteric+1Sally+Holliday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TVL821krpXQ/T40ms74TJoI/AAAAAAAABHE/JKCeuOVai_E/s640/Esoteric+1Sally+Holliday.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What emotions accompany the creative writing process? Are they similar feelings to those the listener experiences, such as alienation, desperation etc?</b><br />
The emotions that we try to recreate in the music come from the emotions, thoughts and experiences that inspire the creative song-writing process. We write almost always from feel alone rather than set formulas or goals. It’s important for us to write music that has a deep personal meaning, so that it has a firm basis in how it relates to us and our own minds, so that when performing the music we have a strong bond and relation to what we are expressing. The listener will hear the music based on their own interpretation of it and it will vary considerably depending on how well they can relate to the emotional content and feelings within the music.<br />
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<b>There is a saying that good literature comes from pain, depression, disappointment, grief. Does that also apply to music somehow?</b><br />
In some instances, for some forms of music I would say yes. For some, maybe not. It just depends I think. I think strong emotions that have a deep meaning to the author will always feel quite strong to the recipient that can relate to the content the author deals with, whether it is literature, music, visual art and so on.</div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wEdCen0if_k/T40muy20I7I/AAAAAAAABHM/FbMs4y7CDZ8/s1600/Esoteric-live-James+Robinson+www.jwrobinson.co.uk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wEdCen0if_k/T40muy20I7I/AAAAAAAABHM/FbMs4y7CDZ8/s640/Esoteric-live-James+Robinson+www.jwrobinson.co.uk.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fot. by James Robinson (<a href="http://www.jwrobinson.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.jwrobinson.co.uk)</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Esoteric has been around for almost 20 years. Did the perception of your music change much in that time, are people more open to such an extreme form of music now that they were in the early ‘90s?</b><br />
On a general level, I would say yes, certainly. When the band first formed and we released our first demo and then album and were playing a handful of live shows the reaction was very different to what it is now. Many complained that the music was too slow, particularly those listening to a lot of death or black metal, those that listened to traditional or stoner doom seemed to dislike the fact that we were a mixture of different styles and influences and were not “true” doom. We had very little acceptance of what we did in the beginning of the band’s existence and even less people who actually appreciated the music. We always knew that our music would not be popular, and even now, almost 20 years later I think there are still very many who cannot relate to our music or find anything they can appreciate within it. This never deterred us and never will, after all, we write music from the heart and I think that is something that is important for any musician, as it means the music will always have a strong sense of meaning to the writer. By the same token, there always was and probably always will be some level of support from those that want to hear something different to the mainstream and to the more generic forms of music, and I think that no matter what style of music you play or write, bands will always find some people who can relate to and appreciate what you do, it just takes time for those who might be interested to find you. We always seemed to gain more support from music journalists and writers than fans of music and I think this is still the case. And I think this is because those who listen to and review many different bands are perhaps more receptive to appreciate something that is a little different to the norm.<br />
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<b>To understand what Esoteric is all about, you need to patiently digest and contemplate your records. It doesn't make any sense to do it some other way because it simply takes time. If only a few people are willing to do so, are you still happy to continue?</b><br />
Of course, and I touched upon this briefly in the previous answer. I think where music is concerned, it is important to write something that is personal and has a great deal of meaning to the author, because it has a strong relation which is important for something that will be written over time, rehearsed and performed live again and again. Something that is written to appease others will quickly fade in time and not hold a deeper meaning for the artist, but something that is written from the heart will remain close to the artist and maintain a strong level of passion when it is performed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CFfCaOB5Phc/T40mxRsTINI/AAAAAAAABHU/9yVgpTqvp0A/s1600/esoteric-cds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="324" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CFfCaOB5Phc/T40mxRsTINI/AAAAAAAABHU/9yVgpTqvp0A/s640/esoteric-cds.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>"Paragon of Dissonance" is a record which makes time stop and transfers the listener to another dimension where the outer world doesn't exist. Is your music meant to offer something else than just tunes to bang your head to?</b><br />
I think music has many different purposes and different styles of music and even different songs by the same bands or different sections of the same songs will contain different elements, emotions, and evoke different thoughts and emotions in the listener. Our music is written as a transposition of the darker sides of our minds and emotions, thoughts, experiences, observations, philosophies and so on. It is written with a purpose, it is written mostly when we feel inspired to write, to express such emotions that might otherwise be destructive or consuming. For those that can relate to what is contained within the music on a personal level it can offer a vicarious, intense journey through sound. For those that can’t it might offer nothing at all of any worth. It all depends on the disposition and tastes of the listener.<br />
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<b>How would you define the genesis of the Esoteric sound?</b><br />
It was created because we wanted to play very sorrowful, slow, dark, heavy and hateful music. So we tuned the guitars down very low and used extremely heavy sounds and a full spectrum of effects to create a huge wall of sound.<br />
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<b>Legends like Black Sabbath and Napalm Death come from Birmingham. Is it an inspiring and unique place that makes people write angry dark music?</b><br />
Birmingham is a large, dull, grey city in my eyes. It used to be an industrial city, but most manufacturing industries in the UK have now died as everything seems to be imported and government regulation really did nothing to aid its survival. There have been some efforts to modernize the city in recent years and as a result it is a mish mash of old industrial areas mostly falling into decline and modern shopping and service industries that are mainly franchises or chain stores you can find in most major cities. It is the second largest city in England and there is nothing particularly inspiring about the place. Why so many metal bands came from this area I do not know, but in addition to those cited, there was also Judas Priest, Godflesh, Bolt Thrower, and many others. There was an exhibition recently in the museum here created by the organizers of the Supersonic Festival which detailed many of the great bands from Birmingham, titled “Home of Metal”.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jzw_iIzQRZY/T40mzVjQLRI/AAAAAAAABHc/uRcHkLGI3hQ/s1600/Esoteric+1+Rachel+Fletcher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="410" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jzw_iIzQRZY/T40mzVjQLRI/AAAAAAAABHc/uRcHkLGI3hQ/s640/Esoteric+1+Rachel+Fletcher.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>You're the only original member of Esoteric now. Is the band your brainchild in the sense that you write the whole thing and you gather people to perform your vision with you in the studio and then live?</b><br />
Gordon Bicknell is also an original member and is still in the band. He took a break from playing within the band full time between June 2010 and November 2011 due to personal circumstances but he was in the band for most of the writing and rehearsing period for "Paragon of Dissonance" and did contribute one song of the seven found on "Paragon of Dissonance". He has been back in the band full time for the last few months and will be for the foreseeable future. I have always been the one organizing the band and the main contact for interviews and gigs, handling the recordings and production since the late nineties, etc, but in terms of song writing it has always been a group effort and on each album you will find at least 2 or 3 main song writers. To my mind it always offers a greater diversity and output when there are several writers in the band and it is more inspiring to work with like-minded musicians than to work alone or with session musicians. On "Paragon of Dissonance" myself and Jim Nolan were the main song writers, on "The Maniacal Vale", it was myself and Gordon with another 2 songs coming from Mark Bodossian (bass) and Olivier Goyet (keys). But throughout the band’s history we have always at least had a stable core of musicians who have been rehearsing every week to keep the momentum going, even when other members have come and gone or when using session musicians to complete the line up.<br />
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<b>As usual you have been recording and producing the new album in your own Priory Recording studio. You seem to be very self-sufficient. Is it because you always know what are you going for or because nobody understands Esoteric better than you?</b><br />
A bit of both I think. Firstly I only started training and then working as a sound engineer because of being so dissatisfied with working with other engineers on the earlier recordings and straight after the album session for "The Pernicious Enigma" I trained and then started to work full time in studios. This was both so that I could capture the sound of the band as we intended and also so that I had a career and way of earning a living that interested me and I could enjoy. The session for "The Pernicious Enigma" album recording was plagued with problems at the studio, a disinterested sound engineer, etc, and at the time no one seemed to have any idea of how to capture the band’s sound. It was rare to find engineers sympathetic to metal recordings back then, let alone one who could understand and appreciate how an experimental metal band like Esoteric should be recorded. "Metamorphogenesis" was the first album we recorded entirely by ourselves in 1998 and with only a year or so experience in studios it was quite a steep learning curve for me, coupled with an extremely limited budget and equipment. So the album did not turn out too well overall in terms of sound and production, yet it was infinitely closer to what Esoteric actually sounded like compared to previous efforts. By the time we recorded "Subconscious Dissolution..." in 2002 we managed to really start to do justice to the sound of the band and I would say that this was the first album we recorded where the production and mix did the songs proud. We’ve always tried to be self-sufficient where possible, partly due to budget but also due to the fact that we like to have control as we have always had a very clear idea of how we want the music to sound. It was just not having the technical know-how that prevented us from doing this on the early albums.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HxbFMchEmeQ/T40m0aDy-uI/AAAAAAAABHg/sec66joGPSg/s1600/Esoteric+2+Sally+Holliday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="441" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HxbFMchEmeQ/T40m0aDy-uI/AAAAAAAABHg/sec66joGPSg/s640/Esoteric+2+Sally+Holliday.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Do you enjoy listening to bands such as Mournful Congregation, Evoken and Comatose Vigil or as a listener do you prefer completely different sounds and emotions?</b><br />
I do listen to some extreme doom and I have always had contact with John Paradiso from Evoken over the years and used to be in touch with Damon Good from Mournful Congregation back in the days of snail mail. Comatose Vigil more so in recent years, since befriending Anton, one of the organizers of the Moscow Doom Fest which we’ve played twice, whose last album I mixed and mastered here at the studio. I do listen to some extreme doom and always did, though back when Esoteric started I didn’t really know of any other bands until after we started releasing our music and found bands through fanzines and writing to other bands, etc, like Unholy, Skepticism, etc. Great bands. But it was only Winter that we were aware of and listened to at the time as there was really nothing around back then. When Esoteric started we appreciated the slower parts of death metal bands like Autopsy and then bands like early Cathedral and My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost, etc, but we wanted to do something with our own style and be experimental, not just create a band that was heavily influenced by our musical tastes. Extreme doom then and more specifically funeral doom didn’t really exist to most people except in the depths of the underground, and printed DIY fanzines that covered this type of music were generally months and months out of date before they were completed.<br />
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<b>Kati Astraeir again created a fantastic piece of art for the cover of "Paragon of Dissonance". How did you meet? Did she listen to the album before working on it or did you just chose one of her previous works?</b><br />
We worked with Kati before on "The Maniacal Vale". She created the artwork for that album too. We found her through a good friend of ours, Michaela, who discovered her work while we were looking for an artist for that album. She’s an excellent artist and we were confident that she could create something that was fitting for our music and lyrics and she delivered beyond our expectations. So we decided to ask her to do the artwork for "Paragon of Dissonance" too. The layout and graphic design was handled both times by our good friend Mauro from Eibon Records and Italian band Canaan who is extremely talented and experienced with such matters. He was able to take the artwork created by Kati and turn it into a booklet and design that was consistent and visually striking for each album. With both albums we gave Kati working demos of the music and lyrics to draw inspiration and feeling from when creating the artwork and the end result is extremely fitting to the content of the music and lyrics.</div>Travis Bicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101777142693557473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748506358959692995.post-77635265422888997222012-03-17T20:58:00.000+01:002012-03-17T20:58:25.360+01:00WOLVHAMMER - Kult of the Black Abyss<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n8Yfc_e99Yo/T2TqmrsI3FI/AAAAAAAABGM/Y8zf3Ue-SD4/s1600/wh-logo1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="144" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n8Yfc_e99Yo/T2TqmrsI3FI/AAAAAAAABGM/Y8zf3Ue-SD4/s320/wh-logo1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>American quartet Wolvhammer made a name for itself with the furious assault of thrashy blackened sludge metal, "Black Marketeers of World War III", which was released in mid-2010. In October 2011 the band dropped the follow-up "The Obsidian Plains" on Profound Lore. The album offered pummeling riffs, a dark atmosphere, crushing hooks and the band's most mature and well-weighed material to date. Guitarist Jeff Wilson talked to We Wither about what is going on in the world ruled by the Wolvhammer.</b></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F9wAJvGHQJo/T2TqrVCYQOI/AAAAAAAABGU/CtDmsdY9pS8/s1600/wolvband1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="307" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F9wAJvGHQJo/T2TqrVCYQOI/AAAAAAAABGU/CtDmsdY9pS8/s400/wolvband1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fot. Samantha Marble</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>You only started playing together as Wolvhammer in 2008 and since then you have recorded a demo, an EP and two awesome full-lengths. You're quite determined to make a name for yourself as soon as possible, aren't you?</b><br />
Not necessarily, I think we’re going to take a little bit longer with the next full length. "The Obsidian Plains" was a little bit different in direction than the previous material, so I think we’re going to take some time and figure out where we’re going to go next. We don’t exactly want to burn ourselves out either. In America especially, the shelf life of a band is so short these days.<br />
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<b>Do you intend to keep putting out records so often? Is another album coming in 2012 or early 2013?</b><br />
The only thing we’re working on currently is a cover of The Cure’s “Burn”. I don’t imagine we’ll start working on the next LP until early 2013. So possibly a new release late next year or early 2014, but who knows, could be sooner.</div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nHxkglxxNH4/T2TqumWhZWI/AAAAAAAABGc/tRGLEhfKC7M/s1600/wolvhammer-carmelo1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="336" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nHxkglxxNH4/T2TqumWhZWI/AAAAAAAABGc/tRGLEhfKC7M/s640/wolvhammer-carmelo1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fot. Carmelo Española</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Where would you like Wolvhammer to go in the next couple of years?</b><br />
I don’t think we’re going to stray too far off of the path we’re already on. We’re always going to be rooted within the black/sludge template, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we can’t push the boundaries or people’s buttons a little. I think in our collective opinion, EPs are more for experimenting, but full lengths should be a focused piece of work. At this point, there hasn’t been much conversation regarding our expectations, next move, etc.<br />
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<b>"The Obsidian Plains" at times sounds like Eyehategod and at others like Darkthrone. Are sludge and black metal your favourite styles or you don't necessarily listen to them a lot?</b><br />
Personally, I’ve been listening to metal for over 15 years. Obviously, there are always bands in those genres that I’m going to listen to and on occasion a newer band will catch my attention as well. For the most part though, I tend to stick to mellower types of music these days. Metal is still the biggest part of my life, but there’s a lot of other music I’d like to catch up on.<br />
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<b>How would you explain the slogan from one of your early flyers, "Working class antichristian"?</b><br />
This was before my time in the band, so you’d have to ask one of the other members for a better explanation. I will say, it’s a very good fit for our ethic inside and outside of the band though.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ew4IN5DiT6k/T2TqxV_3DQI/AAAAAAAABGk/1eN3bbTodo4/s1600/wolvcds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ew4IN5DiT6k/T2TqxV_3DQI/AAAAAAAABGk/1eN3bbTodo4/s640/wolvcds.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><b>"Black Marketeers of World War III" had more melodic and catchy hooks than "The Obsidian Plains". Did you go more brutal for a specific purpose?</b><br />
I think when you finish the first couple songs for a specific record, it sort of sets the pace for where the rest will go. We’ve never really gone into a session saying we’re going to write this or that. The song just works itself out on its own, we each add our style and that’s what you get in the end. When you change lineups, you change the band’s style, it’s that simple.<br />
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<b>Once again your record was produced by Sanford Parker. How much does he boost your studio efforts?</b><br />
Sanford is obviously famous for what he does for a reason, the guy gets great tones and has great ideas. It’s definitely a relaxed atmosphere working with him, which doesn’t hurt either. I’ve done a lot of recordings with him at this point, so it just makes sense.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iP-GVKqZr8Y/T2Tq0p-MmiI/AAAAAAAABGs/SKMLaI8TU_E/s1600/wolv-live-carmelo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iP-GVKqZr8Y/T2Tq0p-MmiI/AAAAAAAABGs/SKMLaI8TU_E/s640/wolv-live-carmelo.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fot. Carmelo Española</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Is what you're doing with Wolvhammer influenced somehow by your 5 year spell in Nachtmystium? Did you leave to focus on the new band?</b><br />
Not really, I think some of the newer influences we’re using are just my playing style in general. I write how I write and it’s fairly noticeable if you listen close enough to any of the projects I’ve worked on. The songs for Chrome Waves or Nachtmystium are completely different from those of Wolvhammer, but the style/vibe are easily one and the same, I take that back, Sentinels could’ve gone either way now that I think about it.<br />
I left Nachtmystium for a lot of different reasons, none of which I feel are any of the public’s business, but no, I wasn’t a part of Wolvhammer when leaving that band.<br />
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<b>What is that place on the cover of "The Obsidian Plains"?</b><br />
Our good friend, Jimmy Hubbard took all of the photographs for the record in New York. We basically gave him an advanced copy and just told him to go with it. I think it turned out really well. It looks just like it sounds, black and grey.<br />
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<b>How much are lyrics and the image of the band important to you in contrast to focusing mainly on the music itself?</b><br />
All of these things are important for us, but obviously the most important aspect is still the songwriting. The riffs, the atmosphere, the lyrics, as well as visual presentation are very key in setting the vibe we wish to portray.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QOpYIaTVxhQ/T2Tq3fRFs7I/AAAAAAAABG0/esFVZywMRF8/s1600/wolvbandlive1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="188" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QOpYIaTVxhQ/T2Tq3fRFs7I/AAAAAAAABG0/esFVZywMRF8/s640/wolvbandlive1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fot. Samantha Marble</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Do you think extreme hybrids like Wolvhammer, which combine different extreme styles, are the biggest force in the US underground scene at the moment? Lots of bands put together death black thrash and sludge metal elements. Those who play straight up death or thrash seem to be in the minority.</b><br />
I think it depends on the band. In my opinion, 99% of musicians have no idea how to blend the genres properly. There’s no flow and it all seems forced. That being said, I think there’s definitely a larger market for it here than anywhere.<br />
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<b>What albums of 2011 did you find interesting?</b><br />
Soft Kill "An Open Door", Cold Cave "Cherish the Light Years", The Atlas Moth "An Ache for the Distance", Prurient "Bermuda Drain", Mournful Congregation -"The Book of Kings", Loss "Despond", 40 Watt Sun "The Inside Room", M83 "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming", Girls "Father, Son, Holy Ghost", PJ Harvey "Let England Shake". Honorable mentions: Wolves in the Throne Room "Celestial Lineage" and Leviathan "True Traitor, True Whore".</div>Travis Bicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101777142693557473noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748506358959692995.post-5223035141403074642012-02-21T22:25:00.000+01:002012-02-21T22:25:03.013+01:00ASPHYX - True Death Metal You Bastards<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lld5GL5NFqE/T0QJR3TTaKI/AAAAAAAABEs/uUL2OAdMp9M/s1600/asphyx-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lld5GL5NFqE/T0QJR3TTaKI/AAAAAAAABEs/uUL2OAdMp9M/s320/asphyx-logo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Bands like Bolt Thrower, Entombed, Grave and Asphyx have written some of the most memorable albums in the history of European death metal. What would the world of extreme be without such timeless old school classics as "Realm of Chaos", "Left Hand Path", "Into the Grave" and "The Rack" by the Dutch masters of brutality who returned in 2007 after some years on hiatus? Reuniting with the original vocalist Martin van Drunen, also now the front man of super group Hail of Bullets, they were able to produce two astonishing records - "Death... the Brutal Way" in 2009 and the latest strike of "Deathhammer", which was released by Century Media in February 2012. Martin talked to We Wither about the newest Asphyx offering but commented on the past too.</b></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kIL4JiGjz-I/T0QJXhdyMbI/AAAAAAAABE0/kbRtVrxvwkA/s1600/press_photo2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="371" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kIL4JiGjz-I/T0QJXhdyMbI/AAAAAAAABE0/kbRtVrxvwkA/s640/press_photo2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>After twenty years and eight albums Asphyx is still exactly the same band. Is it hard not to stray from the path for such a long time?</b><br />
I'm 25 years in this business and my enthusiasm and passion is still the same as in the beginning. I'm a musician but I'm very much a fan, a metal-head too. I started early and never changed. It's like a dream come true to become a recording and touring artist. I sometimes realize that on stage. I can't believe I made it and am actually doing it. Being surrounded by great people who are my family and friends gives me a lot of joy from what I do. Death metal is fun but hard work too. People usually don't recognize it but I practise, I write lyrics and some music too, I tour and do interviews. It's not only a hobby on the side. I feel a need to do this and it makes me happy but it's not just as easy as people might think.<br />
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<b>Was the success of Hail of Bullets sort of a kick to revive Asphyx from its hiatus?</b><br />
Stephan Gebedi of Thanatos approached me years ago when I was playing with a smaller band Death by Dawn and asked if I was interested in doing something old school together. It took a while but eventually we started Hail of Bullets. I was in contact with Bob Bagchus, who is the only original Asphyx member and I knew lots of people were asking him to do some festival shows but we didn't want to do it without Eric Daniels because his guitar sound was irreplaceable in our opinion. Later on a drinking night with the Hail of Bullets boys Asphyx was mentioned and our guitarist Paul Baayens, who also plays with Thanatos, had a couple of beers too many and boldly said that he is up for filling the position in Asphyx. The next day he was a bit shocked when he realized what he'd said but I spoke to Bob and he agreed to check how it would sound. When he plugged in and we rehearsed we just knew he suits the slot perfectly. That's how it happened!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LqDTMCel63c/T0QJddo8SBI/AAAAAAAABE8/e9EJshBJ_gM/s1600/asphyx-dh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LqDTMCel63c/T0QJddo8SBI/AAAAAAAABE8/e9EJshBJ_gM/s400/asphyx-dh.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>You called the “Deathhammer” album “a manual to death metal”. Do you think metal should always stick to its roots and if you want to evolve a lot it’s better to change the band’s name?</b><br />
More or less I have to agree. I remember being disappointed so many times in the past when the bands I loved recorded some awful albums. For example I'm still not able to get over Celtic Frost's "Cold Lake", which is just an utter piece of shit. I never forgave them. I'm not even going to see Triptykon because I'd need to speak to Tom about how the hell it happened that he wrote such a thing. It's very hard to accept the situation when the band you love so much change drastically. The same happened to me with Kiss. I was a big fan of theirs but once they came up with that crappy disco style I just felt like my heroes had died. I don't listen to death metal every single day but I'd never dare to change the style of Asphyx.<br />
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<b>“Deathhammer” is such a straightforward record. Did you write this album as if it were your one last manifesto of brutality?</b><br />
Interesting that you mention that because it's actually something I was thinking about. After we finished in the studio and the material was ready and when we listened to it I experienced something I never felt before in a similar situation. It was a strange feeling in my gut. I spoke to Bob asking if he felt the same and for some reason he felt weird as well. I never had that before. Maybe it meant this is a record you only do once in a lifetime. On the other hand it was the most relaxed recording session I ever took part in. I was just having fun doing my vocals and I was singing so loud that our producer Harry Wijering told me there was feedback on the headphones and I have to take it easy.<br />
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<b>After my first glance at the “Deathhammer” cover art my reaction was that it’s the book of the dead from the “Army of Darkness” movie. How wrong am I?</b><br />
Fucking hell. That's a good one. I guess you are right. Nobody thought about it before. It was not our intention but it works. I will need to speak to guys about it. They will like it.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s0KF3mFI-3k/T0QJmwfyVVI/AAAAAAAABFE/b-1pDZ-gRqE/s1600/press_photo5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="427" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s0KF3mFI-3k/T0QJmwfyVVI/AAAAAAAABFE/b-1pDZ-gRqE/s640/press_photo5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Would you ever be able to continue playing such extreme music for so long if not for the pure and loyal love for death metal?</b><br />
To do this death metal has to be in your bones and your blood. If one day I no longer enjoy being on stage I'm going to quit as soon as possible but at the moment it's out of the question. We have the best atmosphere in the band now and if one of us leaves I think we would just stop doing Asphyx unless that member expresses clearly that he wants to be replaced.<br />
<br />
<b>When I listen to your vocals I can almost feel how you tear your throat. Do you often practise? How does it feel after a full live set?</b><br />
Yes I do practise a lot and take care of my throat. I keep discipline in order to be in good shape on tour. It's like sport. You have to practise to look and perform good. Of course it can be sometimes hard on the stage but usually I'm well-prepared. If we do an extensive club show with a really long set and the gig is about two-hours-long I feel exhausted but when you play festivals the set is most of the time about an hour-long, which is rather easy.<br />
<br />
<b>You started Pestilence in 1987 when you were actually still a kid. Now you’re a mature man but your music hasn’t changed much. How do you sustain your interest in death metal?</b><br />
I like to say that metal keeps you young and I believe in it. Every now and then I feel a little old but it's a natural process. Once in a while I'm more tired than I used to be 15-20 years ago but that's okay. I don't care if my hair goes white. I don't need to dye it. I'm not Type O Negative or Morbid Angel to care about things like that. I still have the strong ambition to do what I do. I always return to the same old records I was listening to as a teenager and I still love them. That's something that simply doesn't change.<br />
<br />
<b>Did you ever have a moment when you thought I’ve had enough of recording, touring, playing etc?</b><br />
There was a moment like that. After I left Bolt Thrower about 1997 I just felt disappointed with everything around me and I didn't want to be in a band anymore. I wasn't musically active for almost five years. I went back to school for some education and found a job. Only later did I regain the eagerness to return to the metal business.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jeis1wvp0Ww/T0QJpZB8QmI/AAAAAAAABFM/FyRb240aE18/s1600/asp-press4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jeis1wvp0Ww/T0QJpZB8QmI/AAAAAAAABFM/FyRb240aE18/s400/asp-press4.jpg" width="350" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>How do you remember your spell with Bolt Thrower. Was playing live with them different that with Asphyx?</b><br />
Bolt Thrower is an institution. Everyone in England speaks of them very highly so it was a very exciting and rewarding experience. It was a pleasure to meet these people and to become friends with them. I was immediately accepted as a member. Before we performed together for the first time I practised on my own for two months and then before the tour I flew to England and rehearsed for five days. They were astonished with my attitude and abilities. I don't think there is much difference playing with them or Asphyx.<br />
<br />
<b>Hail of Bullets drummer Ed Warby said your passion about World War II history is very close to an obsession. Where did it come from? Do you like to visit old battle scenes in Europe?</b><br />
It all started with a book by Theodor Plievier entitled "Stalingrad" that I read when I was about 18 years-old. Later on I discovered he'd written a war trilogy with "Moscow" and "Berlin" as the other two books. It didn't grab my attention straight away and at the time I was naturally much more into horror novels by Lovecraft and Poe. The history of World War II became more interesting to me when I started meeting members of my German ex-wife's family and some of them remembered the war pretty well. I had a great opportunity to hear about their experiences and memories, which taught me a lot. Wherever I travel I love to visit places connected to the history of the war but I rarely have any spare time when we are touring. Personally I'm much more interested in places such as Berlin or the eastern front than the usual Normandy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yjyU6gfkjGQ/T0QJr21HauI/AAAAAAAABFU/6cTyurH8BAA/s1600/asphyx-3cds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yjyU6gfkjGQ/T0QJr21HauI/AAAAAAAABFU/6cTyurH8BAA/s640/asphyx-3cds.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Times are hard, gas and accommodation is expensive. Did you ever consider a European tour consisting of Asphyx, Hail of Bullets and Thanatos? Paul would definitely kill you but maybe it’s worth it!</b><br />
Hahahaha. It would be too exhausting for me and I would most probably die. So would Paul for sure with three sets every night.</div>Travis Bicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101777142693557473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748506358959692995.post-49212754566153050472011-11-28T09:55:00.000+01:002011-11-28T09:55:59.764+01:00KRISIUN – Combusting Execution<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-knkkSxlKAmE/TtNKmPWLfZI/AAAAAAAABD0/SK2W1UoP6yY/s1600/kr-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="158" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-knkkSxlKAmE/TtNKmPWLfZI/AAAAAAAABD0/SK2W1UoP6yY/s320/kr-logo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Brotherhood of blood, metal and an uncompromising attitude is what defines Brazilian extremists Krisiun. The Sao Paulo-based trio, which has continued its crusade of brutality and terror for over twenty years, has just produced its eighth full-length "The Great Execution" for Century Media. After two straight up death metal records, "AssassiNation" (2006) and "Southern Storm" (2008), the band delivered much more diverse material with mid-tempos, loads of groovy riffing and developed arrangements. Krisiun's drummer Max Kolesne talked to We Wither about the course of its creation, his home country and first steps behind the drum kit.</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CFfUtFuf95Q/TtNKp3hYy4I/AAAAAAAABD8/dPsXszAAMfc/s1600/kriband1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="408" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CFfUtFuf95Q/TtNKp3hYy4I/AAAAAAAABD8/dPsXszAAMfc/s640/kriband1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What is the difference between "The Great Execution" and the previous album, 2008's "Southern Storm"?</b><br />
We wanted to do something different on the new album and didn't want to repeat the same old formula once again. We added some variations to our style. Playing fast songs is in our blood and it's still present on "The Great Execution", but this time we tried some new tempos and rhythms. I think you can hear the influence of Black Sabbath, Judas Priest or Mercyful Fate. <br />
<br />
<b>The new album is your most progressive record to date with no track clocking under five minutes. Did you plan to do such a complex record or did it simply come out that way in the process?</b><br />
It's definitely our best recording session to date. We naturally wrote really long songs but we didn't plan it, they just came out like that. We jammed and shared the ideas for the new material and for some reason we wrote longer tracks than before. They are catchier than our old stuff but Krisiun remains the same death metal band.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aHaMsEnXZKY/TtNKsk-MIOI/AAAAAAAABEE/y9cVSWPZlWI/s1600/krisiunCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aHaMsEnXZKY/TtNKsk-MIOI/AAAAAAAABEE/y9cVSWPZlWI/s400/krisiunCover.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Was the new album fun to write?</b><br />
Very much! We have the right chemistry in the band. We understand each other very well. I'm sure this is the best time for us so far. We feel really comfortable with what we do at the moment. Writing and recording "The Great Execution" was a lot of fun. It was a natural process. With no compromise. We used a bunch of analog equipment in the studio, that's why it sounds natural. The important thing for us is that we didn't overproduce this material. <br />
<br />
<b>You often emphasize your dedication to the underground. You’ve been active for more than twenty years and stayed there for the whole time. Do you feel comfortable with where you are?</b><br />
Our music is underground and we are a 100% death metal band with underground roots, so definitely yes. That doesn't mean we don't change our style a bit from time to time. I hope what we do can attract more and more people to the underground scene. Every time we tour we meet new fans and that means the underground is the place for us.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6N-Yrk3KNdo/TtNKwCJAUOI/AAAAAAAABEM/wYFcAeT1Wwg/s1600/kriband3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="472" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6N-Yrk3KNdo/TtNKwCJAUOI/AAAAAAAABEM/wYFcAeT1Wwg/s640/kriband3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What does working with Andy Classen give you? Is he the kind of producer who is almost a band member or rather an advisor?</b><br />
First I have to say we're a very easy band to work with. When we enter the studio the material is heavily rehearsed and prepared. We don't fuck around and don't waste time. We actually produce the music ourselves but we need a guy like Andy who gets the best possible performance from us. He pushes us to the limits and always delivers the sound we’re looking for. We don't spend ages in the studio. With "The Great Execution" it took us four weeks with a break for a short European tour.<br />
<br />
<b>Everybody knows Sepultura and Sarcofago, lots of people have heard of Krisiun, Rebaelliun and Mental Horror but there are not many bands from Brazil that are popular globally. Is the metal scene in Brazil strong at the moment? Do a lot of people come to metal shows?</b><br />
The Brazilian metal scene is very strong and huge. There are tons of people at shows. It seems that Brazilian people love metal a lot. I think there aren't that many well-known bands from Brazil because it's really hard for local bands to break through. I'd say it's easier for bands in the US or Europe. Apart from the bands you mentioned I'd also add Torture Squad and Claustrofobia. Both bands are around for about twenty years and they are worth of checking out if you don't know them yet. <br />
<br />
<b>Rio Grande do Sul, the province of Brazil you come from, is the southernmost region of your country. Is the south of Brazil an easy place to grow up and live?</b><br />
Actually it's a very good place to grow up. I had a happy and decent childhood, I totally enjoyed it. The good thing about growing up in the provinces is that you're close to nature. We used to spend time at the river or playing football most of the days. In big cities like Sao Paulo or Rio de Janeiro the pollution is horrific, there's a lot of crime and it has to be tough for kids to grow up in such circumstances.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-awgsJi4AURA/TtNKyMqLiwI/AAAAAAAABEU/eb1rCV4kPMI/s1600/kriband2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="388" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-awgsJi4AURA/TtNKyMqLiwI/AAAAAAAABEU/eb1rCV4kPMI/s640/kriband2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>The stereotype is that music and football are the only options to make a career and a good living in Brazil. Would you say there is a bit of truth in it?</b><br />
Not at all, it's not true. You can be whoever or do whatever you want in Brazil. It's only up to you and how determined you are. If you're a professional and have certain skills you can be as successful here as anywhere in the world.<br />
<br />
<b>Brazil is the fifth most populated and the fifth biggest country in the world. What are the advantages and the disadvantages of living there?</b><br />
Sao Paulo where we live at the moment is a huge city and the great thing about it is it gives you a lot of opportunities to do whatever you like at anytime you want. There are always shops and clubs open. A lot of things happen in Sao Paulo so it's a good place to hang around. There is a great cultural diversity and the food is awesome. The worst thing about living here is the terrible traffic. You literally waste hours of your time to just travel within the city. There are far too many cars here.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sheya7n4kAY/TtNKz3W1IkI/AAAAAAAABEc/zo1Cxr5JagY/s1600/kricds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sheya7n4kAY/TtNKz3W1IkI/AAAAAAAABEc/zo1Cxr5JagY/s640/kricds.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>I remember your gig at Metalmania 2004 in Poland, when you recorded your DVD "Live Armageddon", as one of the most crushing shows ever. When you started the band was your goal to become the most brutal and punishing band in the world?</b><br />
We were young, really pissed off and full of hate. We wanted to play radical music full of brutality pushed to the limits. On our first EP "Unmerciful Order" and the debut album "Black Force Domain" in 94-95 we simply wanted to just destroy everything with our music not as much to compete with other bands. That DVD is absolutely a good representation of what Krisiun and our live shows are. We always play intense and straight in your face gigs.<br />
<b><br />
Drummers have always been my favourite metal musicians. How did you start?</b><br />
Alex who is the oldest among of us used to be in a band before Krisiun and before he started singing and playing bass guitar he was a drummer. I never thought I could be a drummer one day but I really loved the rhythms of AC/DC songs etc. Moyses, who now plays guitar for Krisiun, told Alex to show me some simple techniques and that's how I started. I didn't have a drum kit so I practiced on the furniture or pieces of wood. I was about 13-years-old. I was only able to repeat some basic easy beats. There was no chance I could even try to play Iron Maiden. I was asking older guys for advice how to play. And then when I listened to early Metallica and heard the double-kick it just completely changed my drumming style. I went crazy for that intensity.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dFvH3Vzle0U/TtNK1_dBm6I/AAAAAAAABEk/PcMe8hWWhS4/s1600/kri-live.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dFvH3Vzle0U/TtNK1_dBm6I/AAAAAAAABEk/PcMe8hWWhS4/s640/kri-live.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fot. Łukasz Popławski</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What is your favourite metal record drumming-wise?</b><br />
It's easier for me to point to three records that are a perfect representation of what my influences are. They’re "South of Heaven" by Slayer, "Covenant" by Morbid Angel and "Darkness Descends" by Dark Angel.<br />
<br />
<b>Krisiun is a true band of brothers. Would you ever consider continuing to play if one of you left the band?</b><br />
It's hard to say what will happen in the future. It depends on the situation. Probably if we fought against each other we would rather kill the band than continue with somebody else. If one of us preferred to slow down a bit and retire from Krisiun we would probably give it a thought to recruit a new member. But that's only one of many possibilities. On the other hand I can't imagine how Morbid Angel could record an album without Pete Sandoval. His style is an undisputed part of the band's sound and without him it's not the same.</div>Travis Bicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101777142693557473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748506358959692995.post-32691472633864545862011-11-12T14:53:00.000+01:002011-11-12T14:53:55.149+01:00VALLENFYRE - Cryptic Vibe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AKaUiywD0QU/Tr54-HjzXcI/AAAAAAAABDE/UsR2B1QfIZY/s1600/v-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AKaUiywD0QU/Tr54-HjzXcI/AAAAAAAABDE/UsR2B1QfIZY/s320/v-logo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>The new project of Paradise Lost main composer and guitarist Greg Mackintosh may come to some people as a great shock. The man witnessed the loss of his father and turned the devastating experience into fuel for his grim obscure death metal monster Vallenfyre. Greg recruited some notable musicians such as drummer Adrian Erlandsson of At the Gates and Paradise Lost, guitarist Hamish Glencross of My Dying Bride, bass renegade Scoot of crust punks Doom and guitarist Mully, Greg's close friend. Released at the end of October 2011 Vallenfyre's debut "A Fragile King" offers a tribute to the old school sound of harsh and raw uncompromising beating. Songs such as "All Will Suffer", "Ravenous Whore" and "Humanity Wept" are just what death metal was originally all about. Greg talked to We Wither about how the record came to life.<br />
<br />
If not for the death of your father, would you ever have started Vallenfyre?</b><br />
Probably not. Death of my father was the thing that made me do this record. It's been therapeutic to me in that sense. It gave the spark to creation of the music. About seventy percents of the lyrics are about my father's death and my grief. For last three or four years I have been listening to my favourite old death metal again and the idea was somewhere there but it wasn't channelled.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RuMar15miyo/Tr55Dt8pBqI/AAAAAAAABDM/8L6uny5fmPM/s1600/val-band3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RuMar15miyo/Tr55Dt8pBqI/AAAAAAAABDM/8L6uny5fmPM/s640/val-band3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>As far as I’m aware, it’s the first time a Paradise Lost member has teamed up with a My Dying Bride member. Both bands have been compared on numerous occasions in the past. How much did Hamish influence the shape of the band?</b><br />
He didn't much but it's only because he joined the band when about seventy five percents of the record were already written. He definitely added his touch in the studio, he brought in some ideas for production and his playing style was important to the fact how the album sounds.<br />
<br />
<b>You have written all the music for “A Fragile King” but what did other guys bring in to the band?</b><br />
The whole idea for Vallenfyre was to bring back and recreate that old school vibe that we have in a band because we are all been in the scene long enough and we come from the same background musically. Adrian is Swedish but he's been living in London for a decade now. That vibe and understanding are more important to us than anything else. We have this feel for how death metal should be and it's quite an opposite to how modern death metal bands sound, often overproduced.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z0QbTjPCt-c/Tr55GpaTU8I/AAAAAAAABDU/3zaDtNHjkVg/s1600/val-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z0QbTjPCt-c/Tr55GpaTU8I/AAAAAAAABDU/3zaDtNHjkVg/s400/val-cover.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Could you tell me more about the writing process? How long did it take you, what did you experience during that time?</b><br />
It was happening in a couple of stages. The first one was just after my dad died. I started writing down my thoughts and feelings. These ideas turned to music later on. When you stay alone with such emotions they might become pretty self-destructive. I didn't really have anybody to talk about it. That's why I spoke to Hamish and the guys to join me in a band. I had a bad thing turned to a good positive thing at the end. I spent almost the whole 2010 writing the material and then we were in a studio between December 2010 and April 2011 with a few breaks for our other bands. I noticed one thing. When death metal bands speak about ripping people to pieces it's just fine but when you come up with the real experience of death suddenly people get frightened and don't know what to do with it.<br />
<b><br />
It's quite easy to guess which old school death metal bands are your favourites but do you check out younger bands? Did anything released in the last decade get your attention?</b><br />
I do listen to modern bands but not really to a lot of death metal. I prefer other forms of extreme metal, things between hardcore/punk and metal like Tyrant, Black Breath, Nails, Trap Them or Coffins. I somehow lost interest in death metal since nowadays it's usually too technical, too clean in production and actually with no soul.<br />
<b><br />
Could any of the Vallenfyre songs fit on the early Paradise Lost records?</b><br />
Possibly but only rather more doomy songs like "Seeds" or "The Grim Irony" since the majority of the album would be too aggressive.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5MsN64pAch8/Tr55IXQR5fI/AAAAAAAABDc/yIcmmRCQQts/s1600/val-band1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="408" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5MsN64pAch8/Tr55IXQR5fI/AAAAAAAABDc/yIcmmRCQQts/s640/val-band1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>You have written all the lyrics for Vallenfyre, while in Paradise Lost it's Nick Holmes who writes the most of them. Was writing these lyrics easy for you?</b><br />
It was bit difficult I guess. I wanted to write them in an interesting way for the listener. I was looking for the cryptic feel and atmosphere. I had lots of inspiration and experiences of sadness and mourning and put them into words. Probably the first few lyrics that I wrote, which were "Desecration", "Seeds" and "The Divine Have Fled" became a fundament to what I wrote later on.<br />
<br />
<b>What are the chances for another Vallenfyre record?</b><br />
It's too early to talk about it. I don't have such plans at the moment. I'm not looking so far into the future. It may happen later but I don't know. For the moment we some shows scheduled for next year. We as well released a video clip to "Cathedrals of Dread", which is a song about religion and how people are told what to do and are brought up in sheep mentality of the followers. It's got some aggressive feeling, it's dark and edgy.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9aLGuUGGDds/Tr55JnEZEcI/AAAAAAAABDk/hsQyp9WYLoY/s1600/val-band2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9aLGuUGGDds/Tr55JnEZEcI/AAAAAAAABDk/hsQyp9WYLoY/s640/val-band2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Will what you do with Vallenfyre influence the next Paradise Lost record?</b><br />
Not at all. Quite the opposite actually. I draw a fine line between what I'm doing with both bands. The new record, which we will be recording very soon is more melodic than our last album "Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us". It's going to be a blend between classic metal and gothic style with a lot of lead guitars but no keyboards. We are going for sort of retro production. We are working with Jens Bogren again and the record should be out around March 2012.<br />
<br />
<b>You have been playing heavy music for more that twenty years now. Did this lifestyle turn out to be the thing you always wanted and wished it to be?</b><br />
Yes and no. When we started the band we didn't even expect to do a proper record or tour etc. What I like is that we always kept the things the way we wanted. Of course we witnessed some shitty music business stuff but overall I enjoy this lifestyle much more now than in the past. I keep myself busy all the time. I write music at home when we're off tour. Then we record and go on the road. It all happens in 2-3-years circles.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tYx4B3AdZxI/Tr55LA3YadI/AAAAAAAABDs/tkOhGyk6xQA/s1600/greg-live-dan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="315" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tYx4B3AdZxI/Tr55LA3YadI/AAAAAAAABDs/tkOhGyk6xQA/s640/greg-live-dan.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fot. by Daniel Gray</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Where is Paradise Lost at the moment? After twelve albums and some ups and downs what is ahead of you?</b><br />
I'm quite sure than our new record is as good as anything we released in the past. It's relevant to what's happening in the scene today and we still have a lot of fun writing and playing music. We feel creative and are eager to stay around for some time. At the moment we have a very good relation with our label Century Media. Those people understand where we come from and it works just great.</div>Travis Bicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101777142693557473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748506358959692995.post-772464108108731762011-11-02T16:32:00.000+01:002011-11-02T16:32:50.927+01:00AZARATH - God-crushing Hammer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2rFeC2J9CHA/TrFgbFJBlEI/AAAAAAAABB0/7AtTxCxYpo0/s1600/logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2rFeC2J9CHA/TrFgbFJBlEI/AAAAAAAABB0/7AtTxCxYpo0/s320/logo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>While Behemoth took its compulsory year-long break due to the band leader's illness, the unstoppable drummer of the Polish blackened squadron, Zbigniew “Inferno” Prominski, used the opportunity to complete the fifth Azarath full-length. The group, which delivers raw, vulgar and violent death metal, produced their strongest offering to date. "Blasphemers' Maledictions", released by the Witching Hour in June 2011, is a furious leviathan packed with outrageous tempos, an annihilating wall of brutal riffage and church-burning profanity. Inferno, much respected for his über-human drumming skills, spoke to We Wither about the new line-up, underground ideals and his hometown.</b></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0WQK496LahA/TrFgoDinYsI/AAAAAAAABB8/W5d5rG9In0M/s1600/AZARATH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0WQK496LahA/TrFgoDinYsI/AAAAAAAABB8/W5d5rG9In0M/s640/AZARATH.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>You started as a really deep underground band and made it to the death metal premier league. How much has changed since 2001’s “Demon Seed” album?</b><br />
Our approach, values or ideas didn’t change even a bit. I’m glad to say that they are getting stronger and stronger all the time. We have progressed musically and you can clearly see that when you look at Azarath today. There is a new line-up, a new label and finally a new record, which raise a lot of sometimes radical reactions and emotions. They are right and if you also add our satisfaction to the scheme, then everything seems to be going in a good direction. <br />
<br />
<b>“Blasphemers’ Maledictions” is a big leap forward even in comparison with the great sound of your earlier albums “Diabolic Impious Evil” and “Praise the Beast”. How was this possible?</b><br />
There are a few elements that are important in that context. One is the opportunity to work with some new people. Witching Hour gave us a chance to choose the studio to work at with no exact time limit. Second is Necrosodom, who puked out all the lyrics and some guitars too. Third is a cooperation with the great graphic artist Zbigniew Bielak, who did the cover art. Having the time off with Behemoth, I fully undertook the whole process of production of “Blasphemers’ Maledictions”.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mhemkp-Dpsw/TrFgrdIW7fI/AAAAAAAABCE/3-OlH1OJHZU/s1600/azcds2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mhemkp-Dpsw/TrFgrdIW7fI/AAAAAAAABCE/3-OlH1OJHZU/s640/azcds2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Do you think Azarath contribute a lot of new elements to the genre or are you rather a homage to your death metal masters?</b><br />
If you do your thing honestly with authenticity and total sacrifice, it automatically becomes an original and contributing act. We never wanted to stand out because of originality. The genre’s parameters are pretty much defined and leaning out of them would be out of order and a desecration. I don’t mean limiting ourselves or anything like that. Simply there are things Azarath will never do and I assure you we will never compromise. We stay loyal and faithful to the ideals of true death metal.<br />
<br />
<b>The new guitar player and vocalist Necrosodom and the bassist P. joined the band recently. Did they creatively contribute to writing “Blasphemers’ Maledictions”?</b><br />
We wrote the whole album with the other guitarist Bart. Necrosodom is responsible for lyrics and vocal arrangements. He’s a wild animal in both the studio and on the stage and absolutely lived up to the task. His creativity and passion were very inspiring. I can’t imagine anyone else in the band instead of him. P. joined us while we were recording and his stage debut took place on September’s tour with Bulldozer, Witchmaster and Deus Mortem.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8vbNvuLC5nc/TrFgthJqfRI/AAAAAAAABCM/j1MqonSsEgU/s1600/azarathlive1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8vbNvuLC5nc/TrFgthJqfRI/AAAAAAAABCM/j1MqonSsEgU/s640/azarathlive1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fot. by Aga Krysiuk</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>In spite of being involved in a lot of other bands, you have managed to produce five regular records in ten years. Is writing for Azarath that easy for you?</b><br />
We write and record when we feel like it but once we decided to treat this band seriously we wanted to offer new material in regular spaces of time.<br />
<br />
<b>What was the impulse to form Azarath, what did it look like in the beginning?</b><br />
The main motive for starting Azarath was my short break from Behemoth. I met Bruno, who I previously knew from another band – Delerium – we played with in the 90’s. Then we brought in Dlugi who played guitar in Cenotaph. We started practising the discipline of music and alcohol. Eventually Bart of Damnation joined too and that was the moment we actually became a regularly functioning band.<br />
<br />
<b>In September 2011 you played a nine-date tour in Poland with Bulldozer, Witchmaster and your new black metal project with Necrosodom called Deus Mortem, where you actually play guitar. In the previous years because of your commitments to Behemoth Azarath was usually performing with ex-Lost Soul drummer Adam Sierzega.</b><br />
We have changed about three-quarters of the old live set. We mainly focused on songs from “Blasphemers’ Maledictions” and “Diabolic Impious Evil”. We had a new stage design and our shows were filled with brutality and mysticism.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rLUHY4HKMdw/TrFgveKUO2I/AAAAAAAABCU/NbgrfolpJew/s1600/azarathlive2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="254" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rLUHY4HKMdw/TrFgveKUO2I/AAAAAAAABCU/NbgrfolpJew/s640/azarathlive2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fot. by Aga Krysiuk</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Does Azarath give you more artistic satisfaction than Behemoth?</b><br />
Yes, it does and I don’t think that’s anything shocking or difficult to understand.<br />
<br />
<b>Do Behemoth fans talk to you about Azarath when you meet them on foreign tours? Are they aware of Azarath at all?</b><br />
We will very soon have an opportunity to properly introduce ourselves to a foreign audience because in December we are playing the Hatefest tour with Triptykon, Marduk and Kataklysm and within almost three weeks we will visit Germany, Austria, France, Belgium, and Holland.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L0p0G8C8ufY/TrFgxw8_0jI/AAAAAAAABCc/2p3veuxRPY8/s1600/azcds1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L0p0G8C8ufY/TrFgxw8_0jI/AAAAAAAABCc/2p3veuxRPY8/s640/azcds1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Is drumming for Azarath and Behemoth different in any aspect?</b><br />
The emotions and fatigue are pretty much the same. It’s tough at times but adrenaline helps me to get through the set with no problem. When I perform with Azarath, I’m sometimes pissed off with myself because I have written such sick and breakneck drum parts. On the other hand when I listen to our records I’m really proud and satisfied because I know that’s how it should sound.<br />
<br />
<b>In “Terrorizer’s Readers’ Poll of 2009” you were voted the drummer of the year. Does that mean your work on “Evangelion” is your top effort to date?</b><br />
I don’t believe so. I think what I did on “The Apostasy” was way more difficult and demanding. I wouldn’t be able to entirely repeat those tracks at the moment. That session was one of the most murderous and exhausting experiences in my life. Plus I had a spine injury that wasn’t helpful at all.</div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T3Hi3MI281s/TrFg0KTReoI/AAAAAAAABCk/UtTTOlnmZ6k/s1600/azarathlive3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T3Hi3MI281s/TrFg0KTReoI/AAAAAAAABCk/UtTTOlnmZ6k/s640/azarathlive3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fot. by Aga Krysiuk</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>You come from and live in the city of Tczew, which is located in Eastern Pomerania and has 60,000 inhabitants. Is it easier to keep a healthy perspective distance from a so-called career there?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I generally keep a very big distance from everything around and from myself as well. I’m aware of what I do and living in Tczew is no problem for me. Actually, lately I enjoy spending time in the outdoors more and more. I go to the forests of Kashubia whenever I have the chance and time to do so.</div>Travis Bicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101777142693557473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748506358959692995.post-28731806583660783932011-10-01T10:53:00.000+02:002011-10-01T10:53:15.111+02:001349 – Unholy Radiance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L7r3cnuqgQc/TobTK4U4RzI/AAAAAAAABBc/S-dkQtJZ5JQ/s1600/1349logo-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="124" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L7r3cnuqgQc/TobTK4U4RzI/AAAAAAAABBc/S-dkQtJZ5JQ/s320/1349logo-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Coming out of the filthiest holes and gutters of Oslo’s burning inferno, 1349 unleashes the new plague. In contrast to the Black Death, which actually spared some survivors in the great epidemic more than six centuries ago, the band doesn’t take prisoners. With drumming maestro Frost of Satyricon nailing the most annihilating blastbeats and vocal leviathan Ravn, the group raises the grand shrine of beastly and volcanic extremity. The furious albums “Hellfire” (2005) and “Revelations of the Black Flame” (2009) established their status, but the band’s fifth full-length “Demonoir” (2010) takes them to another level of abysmal necromancy. Frontman Ravn answers the questions of We Wither.<br />
<br />
„Demonoir” was released more than a year ago. Are you satisfied with the feedback from the press and fans? Would you say it’s 1349’s best effort to date?</b> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">I will say without a shadow of doubt that “Demonoir” is our best effort to date. I am especially pleased with the way the energy and feeling from all our previous releases are captured and added up and became this monster of an album. It gives me the feeling of the past and the future meeting and creating a black hole in between them. Feedback from the fans has been fantastic and we still get feedback from people that say they discover new things every time they listen to the album. As an artist you can hardly get a greater compliment than that. Regarding press, the feedback has been positive but I am of course biased and would always expect more. After all, we released the best album in our career so far, so we want only the best for it. Hence we will in most cases want more of everything when it comes to press and the day we are satisfied I think it will be a sign of stagnation. As long as we are hungry for more we will continue to develop and grow as a band.</div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pz8Zx27_aeY/TobTOwTWvrI/AAAAAAAABBg/ndV5RZbrOT4/s1600/1349_press_2010_3_copyright_Martha_+Lewicka.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pz8Zx27_aeY/TobTOwTWvrI/AAAAAAAABBg/ndV5RZbrOT4/s640/1349_press_2010_3_copyright_Martha_+Lewicka.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fot. by Martha Lewicka</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>You don’t seem to waste time. Since your debut “Liberation” in 2003 you have released four more albums. What makes you write so fast?</b><br />
I don’t think this is fast at all and wish we could have had more albums out but one needs to tour also and this takes time, plus it gives us a natural break between albums so one can gather new inspiration and get feedback from the fans. After all, it is the fans buying the albums that is the main reason we are able to release new albums, so one needs to let the circle complete before starting a new one. “Liberation” was actually written and recorded in 2001 but to finish it and get signed took a bit of time, so “Beyond the Apocalypse” was already in progress when it first got released.<br />
<br />
<b>You worked in the studio with Tom G. Warrior on “Demonoir” and “Revelations of the Black Flame”. He doesn’t produce bands very often, so what happened that you got him to work with you? How is he to work with?</b><br />
Tom is a close friend of mine and, actually, the same day as I was to ask him if he would consider working with us, he asked to work together, so it was a mutual wish of both of us. Working with Tom is a very creative process. With his background and knowledge you have a huge resources for how to produce a dark and heavy album, and also as a musician he knows when to interfere and when to let the band unfold. He stated from the beginning that he was not there to change the band or its sound. He was there to ensure we kept and developed what we already had established and that we used this to the max to bring the band forward.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vDdYKku2C2M/TobTUUKkMqI/AAAAAAAABBk/MTRcHOL65nQ/s1600/1349live.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vDdYKku2C2M/TobTUUKkMqI/AAAAAAAABBk/MTRcHOL65nQ/s640/1349live.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fot. by Rob van Wilgen</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>How do you work in the studio? Do you record hundreds of takes until you find the perfect one or do you rather record quickly and spontaneously?</b><br />
We do both actually as we believe that our form of music needs room to develop and live on its own. So in a studio situation and the rehearsal leading up to it we always leave some things to develop in the studio. The core is there and is often recorded in a short amount of time. Like we set the schedule for drums to record a song a day, but it always ends up with two to three songs, same goes for guitars and bass. When all this basis is recorded we start to relax more in the studio and the fills and extras start to develop and the album starts to take its form. Several times it is art-by-accidents that leads to the big differences and makes a riff or a song stand out. We have always felt that 1349 is a force on its own and we as musicians are its tools and have learnt to let go and let it guide us. Vocals have always been recorded last and I have always felt that this is the right thing to do, as it lets the album take part in me and my job to lay vocals much easier when it comes to unite the vocal side with the musical side of the album. Finally, it is mixing time and that’s when the mayhem starts. Getting everything together in the right way and, at the same time, creating the final atmosphere of the album is just as rewarding as it is exhausting.<br />
<br />
<b>Frost is a permanent member of 1349 but due to his commitments to Satyricon he has at times been substituted by Tony Laureano. How does it work and is anyone able to repeat Frost’s inhuman drumming?</b><br />
As I mentioned above, 1349 is like a force on its own and this helps a lot when it comes to session members in general. I bet Tony can verify this as well, as he is the one that has been doing the most gigs with us and at one point we had done more shows with him on drums than with Frost. But of course every drummer has his own style and brings different elements into the band. Nobody can replace Frost, but to repeat his drumming is possible. We have had two other session drummers and they both managed to pull off 1349’s music. The difference lies in style and execution. Every drummer likes to add their touch on things as well, but as long as the basis is there I feel this artistic freedom just improves playing in the band. The fact that such extreme music can be performed by different drummers proves my point about 1349 as a force of it own.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3j3lmIZvPzc/TobTWkK4rQI/AAAAAAAABBo/wXLLQ9i9Mm0/s1600/1349cds1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3j3lmIZvPzc/TobTWkK4rQI/AAAAAAAABBo/wXLLQ9i9Mm0/s640/1349cds1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>“Demonoir” is totally packed with ultra fast and fierce tempos. Are speed and wildness synonyms for black metal?</b><br />
“Demonoir” has its fair share of this, yes, but also slows down and attacks in different ways also. In order to get the sense of speed one can add a slower part for reference, so people can reflect on the speed and grasp it. I have always stated that black metal is an art form where primal feelings and emotions are best used as inspiration and mindset. Today’s society, heavily infused by religions, rejects this natural primal side and uses this to separate humans and animals. Therefore, all primal instincts are used as an inspiration in our black art.<br />
<br />
<b>A few years ago, you made an intense and raw video clip for “Sculptor of Flesh” from the “Hellfire” album. Do you have plans or ideas for a video for a track from “Demonoir”?</b><br />
Yes, there are plans and actually work in progress. It has been in the planning for a while but we needed to find the right people to work with and now that we have done that we hope to see at least one video out soon.</div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NmJjcM_55t0/TobTY8PMU4I/AAAAAAAABBs/gUXHmNHYOKg/s1600/1349_press_copyright_Martha_+Lewicka.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="380" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NmJjcM_55t0/TobTY8PMU4I/AAAAAAAABBs/gUXHmNHYOKg/s640/1349_press_copyright_Martha_+Lewicka.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fot. by Martha Lewicka</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Poland is a very conservative country with statistically 90% of the population declared Catholic. When Gorgoroth recorded a live DVD in Poland, the media were going out of their minds. When cinema shows a movie critical of the church, people start protesting. At the moment, Nergal of Behemoth is public enemy number one. How does the Norwegian media and public react to the open anti-christianity and nihilism of bands like 1349?</b><br />
Normally not much. Most Norwegians are not fanatic when it comes to religion and we are mostly spared from the big fanatic demonstrations and such narrow-minded behaviour. Things have changed in regards to black metal in Norway and more and more people start to respect it for its global influence and skilled musicians.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8nd5-RZ2Q5M/TobTcGIAnhI/AAAAAAAABBw/b9oea8F_XrE/s1600/1349cds2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8nd5-RZ2Q5M/TobTcGIAnhI/AAAAAAAABBw/b9oea8F_XrE/s640/1349cds2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b>Oslo has a lot of great metal bands. Do bands hang out with each other or is it every man for himself?</b><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">I don’t know if there are a lot of great metal bands in Oslo, as I don’t pay much attention to the metal music. 1349 was formed because I disliked the direction black metal was heading in and after that I stopped paying attention to new acts. If they are good enough, they will come to my attention. Everybody was hanging out at the Elm Street in the ‘90s but this faded away with the new millennium and what is going on today is not of big interest to me. Sometimes it is better to let the past become just that.<br />
<br />
<b>Have you seen Nicolas Winding Refn’s 2009 film “Valhalla Rising” with Mads Mikkelsen? I’m very curious about your thoughts on it?</b><br />
I do know of Mads Mikkelsen and have also briefly encountered him on a couple of occasions but this particular movie with him I have yet to see.</div>Travis Bicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101777142693557473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748506358959692995.post-6011856298685803572011-09-19T18:23:00.000+02:002011-09-19T18:23:58.504+02:00MORNE – Untold Weight of Grief<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DpqgqhD1Ilw/TndqkV1lxDI/AAAAAAAABAs/9Bg_H6Dud-M/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="44" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DpqgqhD1Ilw/TndqkV1lxDI/AAAAAAAABAs/9Bg_H6Dud-M/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>The Boston-based quintet has been feeding the audience with the riff-ridden force of anguish and depression since 2005. Their debut “Untold Wait” and the follow-up “Asylum”, that hit the streets in May 2011, offer vast landscapes of sonic, crusty post-metal hardcore introduced in lengthy monuments of an overwhelming isolation. Morne’s veteran guitarist Jeff Hayward, whose legacy with Massachusetts sludge doom legends Grief and such records as “Come to Grief” or “…And Man Will Become the Hunted” speaks for itself, spoke to We Wither about his present and previous band.</b></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x5OX9N1fBQw/Tndql8SL0FI/AAAAAAAABAw/VE9Y06i8NQg/s1600/morne-band.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x5OX9N1fBQw/Tndql8SL0FI/AAAAAAAABAw/VE9Y06i8NQg/s640/morne-band.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>You went for a month-long tour in Europe in June and July 2011, which included more than ten countries. How satisfied are you with it? Did it make you stronger as a band?</b><br />
I do believe the tour was successful. We played thirty something shows and only a few were lousy. Got to see many friends along the way and make many more. Plus with the second record just being released we felt it was important to hit the road. Also I do think it made us stronger as a band. It was the first tour with this line up and I think it's important for bands to tour and come together. Five weeks is a long time and obviously there are stressful moments but you work together to get through them. At the end of the day we all had a great time.<br />
<br />
<b>Your success is a style that combines different heavy sub-genres but it’s actually quite hard to label. How would you define your sound and aspects that make Morne what it is?</b><br />
Not exactly sure how to label our band. We're just trying to write music with feeling. It's more than just down tuning and playing loud. We try to create music that is heavy but also has emotion. I believe we're heading in the right direction as far as where we want to be but not quite there yet.<br />
<br />
<b>Is there anything that Morne stands for, a theme or a thought that you would like to be its keynote?</b><br />
As far as what we stand for, not really sure. Maybe Milosz has some thoughts about that, the band was his idea before I even knew him. I guess I would like the band to be known for creating heavy powerful music.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-szps35JAURs/Tndqpd1CBZI/AAAAAAAABA0/VhxjbGYpGwY/s1600/morne-live.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-szps35JAURs/Tndqpd1CBZI/AAAAAAAABA0/VhxjbGYpGwY/s640/morne-live.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fot. by Slawek Rzewuski, e-rzewuski.pl</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>There are long instrumental passages in your music since Morne is based on the guitar force in the first place. Would you consider doing a full instrumental record?</b><br />
Doing an all instrumental record… not sure. It's nothing we've ever discussed. I could see us possibly writing an instrumental song but probably not an entire album.<br />
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<b>Are you devoting 100% of your time and efforts to Morne at the moment? Does it allow you to be a full-time musician without a contract with a major label?</b><br />
Musically I dedicate myself to Morne 100%, but not 100% of my time. I work a full-time job putting in about fifty hours a week. As much as I love the band I certainly cannot make a living and support myself from it. Maybe someday but I'm not holding my breath.<br />
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<b>How much did Morne grow from what you were doing with Grief? Do you think both bands have something in common?</b><br />
I think the stuff we're writing with Morne is more involved than the Grief material. Especially since the addition of the keyboards, really trying to create atmosphere. The Grief material was more primitive, a little more straight forward. The bands are a little similar as far as both being heavy and slow but Morne will never be as slow as Grief.<br />
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<b>You played with Grief in the nineties and recorded five studio albums that earned you a lot of respect in the scene. Was shutting the band down and establishing Morne like going back to basics? Was it the same sort of challenge with Morne as you had with Grief back in the day?</b><br />
When I joined Morne they were already a band. They had already recorded and released the demo on CD which had created a little buzz about them. Morne has achieved popularity much easier than Grief did, we really struggled back in those early years.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HcGQ42n5fEY/TndqtP-SLmI/AAAAAAAABA4/vLjEb4dsYrQ/s1600/morne-cds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HcGQ42n5fEY/TndqtP-SLmI/AAAAAAAABA4/vLjEb4dsYrQ/s640/morne-cds.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Grief released splits with such cool bands as Corrupted, 13, Soilent Green, 16 and Dystopia. Did you get to know them and tour with them first and then decide to do something together or did it happen the other way around?</b><br />
All of those bands with the exception of Corrupted we knew personally, I never had the opportunity to meet those guys. The 13 and Dystopia splits seemed fitting to do. We all knew each other and played similar music. The 16 split came about because both bands were on the same label. The Soilent Green one, don't remember how that one came about. Back in the early years we played many gigs with 13 in NYC. Played also with Dystopia when we toured the west coast and also played with them here on the east coast when they were touring. We did two tours with 16, one on the east coast and one on the west coast. Back in 1995 while on tour here with Extreme Noise Terror we hooked up with Soilent Green for about a week. Had some great times playing with these bands and made some great friends also.<br />
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<b>How did it work in the early nineties when you started? Did anyone understand what you were doing? What bands in Boston were you hanging around with?</b><br />
Back in the early 90's people in Boston didn't get what we were doing. There were some but for the most part we would play shows and nobody would show up. I think part of it might have had to do with the fact that four of the five original members were also in Disrupt. Maybe people were expecting one thing and got the complete opposite. Or Boston back then was a very hardcore city as far as music goes and we went a different direction.<br />
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<b>Boston is quite well-known for its hardcore scene and such bands as Slapshot, Gang Green, Blood for Blood or SS Decontrol. Did Grief ever play for hardcore crowds?</b><br />
No, back in the day we never really played for hardcore crowds. Also never played with any of those bands you mentioned. After the first few years we stopped playing Boston entirely. We were not well received here back then, we had more success playing out of state.<br />
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<b>What records, events or experiences influenced the heavily slowed-down style that you created with the early Grief albums? Which extreme doom metal bands did you know in 1992-93?</b><br />
We all listened to different types of music. Before Grief we all played in either a punk or metal band. I think that after Disrupt broke up we were looking to do something completely different from what we were all doing at the time. Just wanted to play slower, heavier music. Back then I personally was influenced by bands such as Black Sabbath, Saint Vitus, EyeHateGod, Sleep, Buzzov-en and 13. There are probably more but those were my favourites.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TQkeL34GOio/Tndqu-C0I5I/AAAAAAAABA8/Yq83cEoF5b4/s1600/morne-jeff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TQkeL34GOio/Tndqu-C0I5I/AAAAAAAABA8/Yq83cEoF5b4/s640/morne-jeff.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What do you consider a highlight in Grief’s history?</b><br />
A highlight in Grief's history, that's a tough one. There were many highlights over the eighteen years the band existed. To pick just one is difficult. Let me put it another way, being a part of Grief is the highlight of my music career. We had our share of good and bad times but it's nice to know that after so many years people still appreciate the band and the music we created. I spent half of my life dedicated to Grief and I'm very proud of that.<br />
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<b>A commonly cited reason for Grief’s break-up was “the hostile environment for doom metal bands”. Do you think you were ahead of your time?</b><br />
Well that quote didn't come from my mouth. But in a way it rings true to a certain extent. I wouldn't say ahead of our time, there were doomy bands around back then. I just think doom metal in general really caught on and started getting very popular in the later part of the 90's. For me personally a big part of the band ending was the continuous line-up changes. It seemed every couple of years we had a different line-up. After a while it just starts to wear you down. It was like two steps forward one step back, over and over again. When it was all said and done at the end of 2008 I was the only original member left from when we started back in 1991. At some point you have to call it's quits and move on and it just felt like the right time for me.</div>Travis Bicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101777142693557473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748506358959692995.post-59202247455225187072011-08-28T19:00:00.000+02:002011-08-28T19:00:31.152+02:00KRALLICE – Progression Through Blackening<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F4iyp3RKycc/Tlpys0mijOI/AAAAAAAABAE/cw_xEbGUm7s/s1600/black600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F4iyp3RKycc/Tlpys0mijOI/AAAAAAAABAE/cw_xEbGUm7s/s320/black600.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>In only five years since establishing the band, Krallice has released three ground-breaking full-lengths: a self-titled album in 2008, “Dimensional Bleedthrough” in 2009 and finally “Diotima”, released in 2011 by Profound Lore. Gathering extraordinary musical talents, Krallice produced a unique and surprising style of monumental riffs drilling across the stratosphere. Long instrumental passages, supported by relentless and machine-like drum beats, create the perfect soundtrack to climbing the highest mountain. The New York quartet combines members of Dysrhythmia, Behold… the Arctopus, Bloody Panda, Angelblood and Astomatous. Bassist and vocalist Nicholas McMaster explains matters to We Wither.<br />
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Recording and releasing three full-lengths in four years means you’re a really productive bunch, not to mention that you’re all involved in other bands too. Is writing for Krallice that easy?</b><br />
I wouldn't say that…but something to consider is that all of us write. Many bands really break down to one songwriter, so that person has to do a ton of work writing for his/her bandmates. We are lucky to have strong synergy between members and sometimes I can't wait to write a corresponding part to demos that my bandmates record, and this back-and-forth produces rapid results. Many hands make light work.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L6_M93Bmau0/TlpywKrgosI/AAAAAAAABAI/5SkNkPiEgog/s1600/krallband.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L6_M93Bmau0/TlpywKrgosI/AAAAAAAABAI/5SkNkPiEgog/s640/krallband.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photos by <span style="color: #333333;">Samantha Marble</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>You have created your own original style and sound, but the media still call you black metal, which in my opinion is a senseless labeling. Are there words to describe what Krallice is?</b><br />
Black metal is a somewhat convenient label because the original intent of the band was to make music influenced by the usual second wave bands. But I feel like bands often start as a sort of collage of their favorite artists and then, over time, move into a sonic realm all their own. Hopefully this is what we have accomplished, or are beginning to. I am content to call it metal—that much seems indisputable. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>“Diotima” seems to develop your style to its limits. It’s very hard to imagine what you could do better on the next record. Do you feel you have reached the sky?</b><br />
The nice thing about being in a band is that when you feel tapped out creatively you often can get an extra kick from the other people around you, and that can push you forward into musical realms you wouldn't have discovered otherwise. It's worth noting that as I write this we have about an hour of demos for the fourth album and perhaps an EP. It's also worth noting that we're not a band that feels we necessarily have to change greatly on each record—it's perhaps desirable but not something to force for its own sake. Look at Darkthrone, or Graveland: they've put out a steady stream of records, demonstrating, at least to me, that they are simply in love with the act of creation. The sound may only shift very slightly from album to album but over time, as the world and the artists themselves develop, the changes are enormous.</div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gsiJJ7OBzG4/Tlpyy0D3R8I/AAAAAAAABAM/C-pGqT5gIcQ/s1600/krallband2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gsiJJ7OBzG4/Tlpyy0D3R8I/AAAAAAAABAM/C-pGqT5gIcQ/s640/krallband2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photos by <span style="color: #333333;">Samantha Marble</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What is your main goal with “Diotima”? Where can this record take you?</b><br />
For me personally the only goal was to develop the compositions to a point where they felt complete, and to record strong performances of them. As I outlined in the previous question, taking “Diotima” to its endpoint allows us to move to the next natural stage as songwriters. <br />
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<b>Would you say Krallice is a difficult band to listen to? The structures, the tempos are far from orthodox metal.</b><br />
"Difficult" is not necessarily the word I would use. There's no desire to be obtuse; it's music, after all, and is supposed to provoke an emotional response. But we have to balance that with a desire to engage the mind, and to make something that remains interesting past the first listen. So the structures reflect a desire to make metal that sounds fresh and can bear the scrutiny of repeated listens.<br />
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<b>You have quite a few very long songs such as “Aridity” or “Litany of Regrets”, for example. Is performing them live physically demanding?</b><br />
Yes, but practice makes perfect!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fIwEd1z6hwM/Tlpy01gPN7I/AAAAAAAABAQ/4eEwzkuhoi0/s1600/krallcds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fIwEd1z6hwM/Tlpy01gPN7I/AAAAAAAABAQ/4eEwzkuhoi0/s640/krallcds.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Is it actually tough to memorize the Krallice songs? The number of riffs, breakdowns and speedups appears to be a massive challenge.</b><br />
It can at times be challenging. Some progressions stick in the mind easier than others. But taste comes into it. Music that you really like is going to be easier to remember than music you don't. This is also a style developed over time, and something that is a reflection of us as musicians, so it plays to our strengths. Someone coming to it cold would probably find aspects of the music that I think are difficult to be easy, and vice versa.<br />
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<b>“Dimensional Bleedthrough” has fantastic cover art. Could you say something about the idea itself and the artist you hired?</b><br />
I actually made it. After the first record we wanted a figure, as opposed to a kind of atmospheric background. We were thinking of the cover of Incantation's “Mortal Throne of Nazarene” as a kind of guide and I hacked it together from a number of paintings.<br />
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<b>Do you think the sub-genre called US black metal has anything to do with European bands such as Mayhem, Satyricon, Immortal or Enslaved? Isn’t it only a marketing device?</b><br />
Some bands referred to as US black metal are closer to the bands you name than others. I think that the term is honest in terms of who a lot of these bands are drawing inspiration from (Krallice included) but influences are subjective. Something I make with certain bands in mind may not remind listeners of those bands at all.</div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kqgaCN9hEVU/Tlpy3oewf-I/AAAAAAAABAU/HwdUAIQZo4Y/s1600/krallband3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="254" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kqgaCN9hEVU/Tlpy3oewf-I/AAAAAAAABAU/HwdUAIQZo4Y/s640/krallband3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photos by <span style="color: #333333;">Samantha Marble</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Where did the band name “Krallice” come from?</b><br />
Mick made it up. He often invents words for his band names and song titles.<br />
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<b>New York City has an awesome extreme scene. Does being there make it easier for a band to get an audience and publicity?</b><br />
I would say so, yes. There is a decent amount of people interested in this stuff, so when you play shows, even as a new band, you can get the invaluable feedback that comes from playing to an engaged audience. Then, there are a lot of bloggers, photographers and videographers here so things that happen here go online quickly and are disseminated across the world. There's also a lot of good bands, as you said, so I think there's a pretty high bar for quality, and people really bring their best, writing- and performance-wise.<br />
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<b>What extreme bands do you see as a leading progressive force in today’s scene?</b><br />
That would be Portal, Wold, Ulcerate, Gorguts.</div>Travis Bicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101777142693557473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748506358959692995.post-49567611745711014432011-08-27T21:14:00.027+02:002011-09-27T21:22:28.311+02:00EXTREME DOOM PART VIII: Brendan Roache of Mourning Beloveth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qjLoSGOUzhE/ToIg-cnfJNI/AAAAAAAABBA/6Si-80Rax40/s1600/mblogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qjLoSGOUzhE/ToIg-cnfJNI/AAAAAAAABBA/6Si-80Rax40/s320/mblogo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>This is the eight part of the series of short interviews with prolific and notable extreme doom metal musicians. They were all asked the same questions to see the different perspective they have for specific aspects of the genre. I spoke to Brendan Roache, bass player for Irish doom warriors Mourning Beloveth. Such records as “Dust”, “The Sullen Sulcus” and “A Murderous Circus” established them in the underground. “A Disease for the Ages”, their fourth full-length released in 2008 is another epic slab of the finest funeral doom mastery. The band is currently working on its follower. Brendan answers the questions about doom.</b></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oUgPOT216Is/ToIhBh8m7NI/AAAAAAAABBE/pEEN5H_MaHo/s1600/mourningbeloveth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oUgPOT216Is/ToIhBh8m7NI/AAAAAAAABBE/pEEN5H_MaHo/s400/mourningbeloveth.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What was your first experience with extremely slow doom metal?</b><br />
Besides the likes of Black Sabbath, probably my first experience with extremely slow doom would have been the early 90’s explosion with the likes of Cathedral, Anathema, Paradise Lost, or My Dying Bride. The Peacevile revolution I guess you could say. I was only a young teenager at the time, well into the likes of Obituary, Morbid Angel and Bolt Thrower and all the big death metal bands of the time. Those days were obviously well before the internet and discovering new and more obscure underground stuff, whatever the sub-genre of metal it was supposedly belong to, was a time-consuming, sometimes frustrating, but altogether a much more satisfying experience. Most of my discoveries were from word of mouth of friends, distro lists, zines. Black Tears distro being of particular importance to me. There was no magic mouse click to bring all the information you wanted up on a screen in front of you. A major amount of time and effort was required to find out even the most basic info on any band in the underground, where ultra slow doom most defiantly belonged back then. But as with everything in life, the more you put into it, the more rewarding each new find was. All that is gone now I think…</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What inspire you to play such music?</b><br />
Easy. The first time I ever heard “Turn Loose the Swans” by MDB. It was on double LP and it was in my friends house. It belonged to her older brother, and to say it knocked the socks off me would be an understatement! Its impact on me was second only to discovering heavy metal in the first place, several years previous. As I’ve already mentioned I was a committed death metal freak and that whole scene was so overtly macho, all satan, gore rape etc. The very first time I heard that album it struck me that here was this monumental piece of work, that not only abandoned that macho ethic and image but blatantly shat on it. Here was this guy singing, actually singing about stuff most teenage lads would be mortified to even admit feeling in private, never mind actually sing out loud, and lay bare on record. On a metal record for that matter! It was brave, dangerous, heartfelt, intelligent and most of all, honest. That’s the one single thing that struck me the most. The absolute honesty of the whole thing. Not only in the lyrics, but the structure and atmosphere of the music too. It was everything I never knew I wanted from metal music. There was no bravado in the songs, everything was there simply to compliment the songs themselves. No insane blastbeats for the sake of it. No demonic shredding solos. Just feeling, atmosphere, purpose and deliberate intention. Take one element of all that away from the record and it fails. It was to me the first truly complete record I’d ever heard. I fucking loved it. And I wanted to meet people who heard what I heard in that record too. That was 18 years ago.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-14P4cOZJgx4/ToIhDDjIC4I/AAAAAAAABBI/vL8WDM_VP0w/s1600/mblive1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-14P4cOZJgx4/ToIhDDjIC4I/AAAAAAAABBI/vL8WDM_VP0w/s640/mblive1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What is the most important in Mourning Beloveth – is it the heaviness, the atmosphere, the lyrics or maybe something else?</b><br />
The most important thing for me is the people involved in the process of creating what everyone else hears in our records. Without those people, it simply wouldn’t be Mourning Beloveth, weather your talking about the classic line up responsible for the first three albums, or the current line up, knee deep in writing the next record as I type. How we interact with each other, interpret each others ideas, how we argue and disagree and how we eventually pull it all together at the very last minute. It all stems from these five very different individuals. How we trust each other to do what needs to be done. So all the heaviness, atmosphere, lyrics, concepts all come from within us as a band. </div><br />
<b>Do you see your music as a very demanding one for the listener?</b><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">I hope so! But a question like that can’t really be answered by any one person. It’s all completely subjective. Every person that hears any of our songs is going to have their own opinions on it. And for that person, that’s the correct opinion. At the end of it all, once we put our music out there to the public, it doesn’t matter what we think. All we can really hope for, or expect, is that people spend some time with it, digest it. Its not pop music, it requires more than five minutes of attention. The biggest compliment we hear from people is that they spend hours, days out of their very finite existence listening to our music. Because each of our albums represent years out of our very finite lives to create it. Once it goes public so to speak, everyone’s opinion is as valid as the next. And we don’t pay attention to any of them.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mf-OMxhCqy4/ToIhE7hrjiI/AAAAAAAABBM/GWRbj_utoZE/s1600/mbcds1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mf-OMxhCqy4/ToIhE7hrjiI/AAAAAAAABBM/GWRbj_utoZE/s400/mbcds1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Is extreme/funeral doom metal more over the top and extreme than super fast grindcore in your opinion?</b><br />
Hahaha, who honestly gives a flying fuck? I like what I like, whatever genre purists would label it. Fastest, slowest, heaviest, most insane, most over the top are accolades only people that can’t write a good song are concerned with. Let them have their awards. We have the songs.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Is doom metal a state of mind or just another sub-genre of metal?</b><br />
Speaking only from my own point of view, it’s a state of mind, a personality. Anything that is genre is by extension generic. I prefer music or any form of art or expression to be honest, without playing for the gallery so to speak. When we plug in, we play what we feel. It mostly happens to be doom, but that’s just what comes out of us. And you can really tell when something is done from the heart. Everything else is a waste of my time to consider.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7kkkhU0oUyY/ToIhGeuJmNI/AAAAAAAABBQ/oZZ-acCzPlk/s1600/mblive2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7kkkhU0oUyY/ToIhGeuJmNI/AAAAAAAABBQ/oZZ-acCzPlk/s640/mblive2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Did you ever feel like a misfit or a reject in the metal scene?</b><br />
Not in the least. I have a life. I have a circle of friends who I happily share a drink with and trade insults and occasional punches with. I play in a music group of my peers who I respect and feel privileged to be a part of. That group has no constraints or limits except for ourselves. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cMwl67Kg2Hk/ToIhIV5qiZI/AAAAAAAABBU/_cG8fSZF1y0/s1600/mbcds2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cMwl67Kg2Hk/ToIhIV5qiZI/AAAAAAAABBU/_cG8fSZF1y0/s400/mbcds2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>C</b><b>an you relate to escapism?</b><br />
Oh course. I feel sorry for those that don’t or can’t. I don’t dwell in some fantasy or make believe world. What flies around in my brain on a daily basis is what keeps me amused and entertained while doing what needs to be done to put food on my table and beer in my glass.</div>Travis Bicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101777142693557473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748506358959692995.post-7663212770118470112011-08-20T11:51:00.000+02:002011-08-20T11:51:54.398+02:00EXTREME DOOM PART VII: Anders Eek of Funeral<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-26bn10hffHE/Tk-CyUH0pSI/AAAAAAAAA_U/LSWXv6jtYbs/s1600/funlogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-26bn10hffHE/Tk-CyUH0pSI/AAAAAAAAA_U/LSWXv6jtYbs/s400/funlogo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>This is the seventh part of the series of short interviews with prolific and notable extreme doom metal musicians. They were all asked the same questions to see the different perspective they have for specific aspects of the genre. I spoke to Anders Eek, a drummer and the only original member for legendary Funeral of Norway. Since their debut effort “Tristesse” in 1994 these doom dinosaurs have been delivering the most haunting and depressing sounds in the metal underground. Records such as 1995’s “Tragedies”, 2006’s “From These Wounds”, 2008’s “As the Light Does the Shadow” or “To Mourn is a Virtue” released on Solitude Records in May 2011 defined the band as one of the pioneers of extreme doom. Whole new album by Norwegians is coming out later this year.</b></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EYcEYkO6Fso/Tk-C1thUovI/AAAAAAAAA_Y/icLobKmsm4A/s1600/funeral_index.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="516" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EYcEYkO6Fso/Tk-C1thUovI/AAAAAAAAA_Y/icLobKmsm4A/s640/funeral_index.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What was your first experience with extremely slow doom metal?</b><br />
I was heavily into tape-trading and got hold of the first Cathedral demo, the first Thy Grief Eternal and some other obscure bands and it instantly blew me away. Prior to this I had been a huge fan of Candlemass, Black Sabbath, Paradise Lost and was really taken by the atmosphere of dirge that they presented. This really gave me the spark I needed to form Funeral and our goal was to take the extreme doom metal to new heights (or lows rather haha).<br />
<br />
<b>What inspire you to play such music?</b><br />
Everything really. I wanted to create the perfect music to a funeral. In my view both sad, beautiful and aggressive, thus the band-name really fit our style, I think. Of course being a miserable bastard also led me into this slow, self-pitying music.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5bvC8CtpIYQ/Tk-C4ApflDI/AAAAAAAAA_c/arDFEZ-EX7U/s1600/fcds1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="322" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5bvC8CtpIYQ/Tk-C4ApflDI/AAAAAAAAA_c/arDFEZ-EX7U/s640/fcds1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What was the most important in Funeral – is it the heaviness, the atmosphere, the lyrics or maybe something else?</b><br />
All of the above! I believe in music and the channelling of emotions and I think if you also manage to present a message of some sort I think one has succeeded. Creating an atmosphere of despair really can be quite a good way of getting out different feelings, listening to doom metal makes me happy. Of course this also include playing this kind of music. We really make music that we think is the best but it’s of course flattering when fans say they can relate to Funeral and telling us they feel a sort of comfort from the music.<br />
<br />
<b>Do you see your music as a very demanding one for the listener?</b><br />
Not really. Of course there are a number of details within our songs and we definitely don’t write easy-listening music so this means that Funeral is not for everyone. For me it’s fine. As mentioned above, we really write for ourselves and take it as a bonus if people want to buy our records.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lbz2Cli1qj8/Tk-C8uoCoxI/AAAAAAAAA_g/b0WGvle-AyY/s1600/funlive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lbz2Cli1qj8/Tk-C8uoCoxI/AAAAAAAAA_g/b0WGvle-AyY/s640/funlive.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Is extreme/funeral doom metal more over the top and extreme than super fast grindcore in your opinion?</b><br />
It is extreme in opposite ways. I love it and I listen to all kinds of extreme music.<br />
<br />
<b>Is doom metal a state of mind or just another sub-genre of metal?</b><br />
Music is a state of mind in my view whether it’s metal or whatever kind of genre.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_U07LtKn7ng/Tk-C-AhHGdI/AAAAAAAAA_k/B8mE6jOgpzU/s1600/fcds2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_U07LtKn7ng/Tk-C-AhHGdI/AAAAAAAAA_k/B8mE6jOgpzU/s640/fcds2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Did you ever feel like a misfit or a reject in the metal scene?</b><br />
Absolutely! Coming from Norway especially during the black metal explosion really made us a rarity in the music scene, which we never really have been a part of. But that just gave me even more inspiration to do what we felt to, eventually leading us to venture into more obscure experiments, getting a female singer, the use of orchestration etc. And I believe this is the cause of our integrity as a band to this day.<br />
<br />
<b>Can you relate to escapism?</b><br />
Can’t we all? What is escapism? For me it’s a way of forgetting about daily trivialities and just go on a "trip". I always do it, especially through music. both as a listener and a composer.</div>Travis Bicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101777142693557473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748506358959692995.post-71416009676088071092011-08-16T20:51:00.002+02:002011-08-17T12:41:41.342+02:00EXTREME DOOM PART VI: Lasse Pyykkö of Hooded Menace<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--y63ZfluPiw/Tkq56rTFAEI/AAAAAAAAA_A/iFUK69DOBM0/s1600/HoodedMenaceB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--y63ZfluPiw/Tkq56rTFAEI/AAAAAAAAA_A/iFUK69DOBM0/s400/HoodedMenaceB.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>This is the sixth part of the series of short interviews with prolific and notable extreme doom metal musicians. They were all asked the same questions to see the different perspective they have for specific aspects of the genre. I spoke to Lasse Pyykkö of Hooded Menace, a band’s mastermind, main writer, guitar player and vocalist from time to time who as well was or still is involved in such creepy death metal acts as Phlegethon, Vacant Coffin, Claws or Acid Witch. Finnish doom metal was always on top of the game and so is Hooded Menace with its heavy rocking mixture of colossal riffage and obscure terror-ridden vocals. Both of their records 2008’s “Fulfill the Curse” and 2010’s “Never Cross the Dead” brought loads of classic doom worship and horror film obsession. They have also released splits with Coffins, Ilsa and Asphyx. Lasse speaks about doom metal.</b></div><b><br />
What was your first experience with extremely slow doom metal?</b><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Teemu, our main contact guy in the early Phlegethon days, got Cathedral demo through tape trading when it was put out. It was definitely extreme doom at the time. Painfully slow and heavy songs with weird sort of an half-grunted vocals. I really liked it a lot.<br />
<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8DKuxLjeTyI/Tkq6FfjoXOI/AAAAAAAAA_E/yNWDeselOh8/s1600/HM3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8DKuxLjeTyI/Tkq6FfjoXOI/AAAAAAAAA_E/yNWDeselOh8/s640/HM3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What inspire you to play such music?</b><br />
I have always dug the rugged and forlorn vibes of doom. When I heard "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus" by Candlemass for the first time in the late 80’s it blew me away! We used to jam their songs such as "Solitude", "Mirror Mirror" and "A Tale of Creation" at Phlegethon rehearsals. We loved that stuff! So Candlemass and particularly their debut album sowed the seeds of doom in me. Of course we must not forget that Black Sabbath was on a heavy rotation on our record players and tape decks before any other doomy stuff. When I write for Hooded Menace I don’t have to feel desperate or pissed off. Pretty much the opposite actually. I need to be giddy with anticipation and just excited to express these desolate, creepy and menacing vibes. Horror movies and soundtracks are definitely a source for the musical and especially lyrical and visual inspiration but first and foremost the music upwells from the heavy music I grew up with. Albums such as "Forest of Equilibrium" by Cathedral, all the first four albums by Candlemass, "The Rack" by Asphyx, "Severed Survival" and "Mental Funeral" by Autopsy, two first Paradise Lost albums, 80’s Maiden, good old classic and epic Metallica, Black Sabbath classics just to mention a few. I know this might sound a bit cheesy but also wandering in well preserved medieval cities kinda puts me in a doomy mode. Gimme a gothic cathedral and that does it, haha! We should get to record in one of those things, haha!<br />
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<b>What is the most important in Hooded Menace – is it the heaviness, the atmosphere, the lyrics or maybe something else?</b><br />
All together but if I had to choose one thing I’d say soul. Without it you are on a feeble ground and you can give it up already.</div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FRaGbrEJEMA/Tkq6HOvOqtI/AAAAAAAAA_I/mkLyQtl9RRw/s1600/hoodedlive1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="321" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FRaGbrEJEMA/Tkq6HOvOqtI/AAAAAAAAA_I/mkLyQtl9RRw/s640/hoodedlive1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photos by Alex York</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Do you see your music as a very demanding one for the listener?</b><br />
Well, if you are a fan of doom and real death metal then our music shouldn’t be too demanding for you. After all our songs are pretty catchy and memorably. There is diversity in the riffs and tempos. Doom purists might have hard time coping with our vocals but hey, we are a death/doom band so what do you expect? One more Ozzy clone?<br />
<br />
<b>Is extreme/funeral doom metal more over the top and extreme than super fast grindcore in your opinion?</b><br />
I’m not following those scenes much but certainly both are pushing the envelope. Personally I enjoy more grindcore (mostly old stuff and to me that is "superfast" or say fast enough!) more than funeral doom which I never really got into. I do get the point of this style but I just find plain funeral doom pretty boring. I’m a bit behind of the modern grindcore scene and it’s bpm. To me Napalm Death’s "Scum" and "From Enslavement to Obliteration" are still very extreme, chaotic and totally relevant stuff. Yeah, I’m an old fart, tell me about it, haha</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CCl3G6vtxek/Tkq6IBf23XI/AAAAAAAAA_M/_20fnL9Z8IA/s1600/hoodedlive2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CCl3G6vtxek/Tkq6IBf23XI/AAAAAAAAA_M/_20fnL9Z8IA/s640/hoodedlive2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">Photo by M.Salminen (right)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Is doom metal a state of mind or just another sub-genre of metal?</b><br />
Yeah I guess you need to have a certain kind of state of mind/approach to play doom. So many metalheads still find it utterly boring music to play or to listen to. Some just cannot relate to the forlorn, rugged and monumental vibes of doom at all. It’s definitely not for everyone which only makes the genre even more fascinating to all us who "get" it.<br />
<b><br />
Did you ever feel like a misfit or a reject in the metal scene?</b><br />
I have always felt more or less like a misfit in my life. I don’t follow the scene too much. Idiots dwell in every community. You bet I know a tool or two in the underground metal scene that are more obsessed with drama and talking crap about everyone than the actual music. I have my persistently growing connections in the metal scene that I interactive with and have good time with.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sX1cNLQDoZI/Tkq6JsaTdGI/AAAAAAAAA_Q/Yarc9_YOaKo/s1600/hoodedlive3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sX1cNLQDoZI/Tkq6JsaTdGI/AAAAAAAAA_Q/Yarc9_YOaKo/s640/hoodedlive3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Can you relate to escapism?</b><br />
Sure. With the art comes the relief. It’s an escape from reality which is something we all need every now and then I guess. Let it be music, movies, painting or whatever. It’s not that I cannot cope with everyday life. It’s got more to do with my imagination than depression and such.</div>Travis Bicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101777142693557473noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748506358959692995.post-23238055424601711902011-08-10T10:45:00.000+02:002011-08-10T10:45:19.562+02:00EXTREME DOOM PART V: Adrian Bickle of Mournful Congregation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8API7ZYxOVo/TkJEVSU238I/AAAAAAAAA-s/s-fH63zavzo/s1600/MClogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="105" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8API7ZYxOVo/TkJEVSU238I/AAAAAAAAA-s/s-fH63zavzo/s400/MClogo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>This is the fifth part of the series of short interviews with prolific and notable extreme doom metal musicians. They were all asked the same questions to see the different perspective they have for specific aspects of the genre. I spoke to Adrian Bickle, drummer for Australian group Mournful Congregation, which in their long history produced mammoth albums such as 1998’s “Tears from a Grieving Heart”, 2005’s “The Monad of Creation” and 2009’s “The June Frost”. 2011 will see another load of darkest funeral sounds from these Adelaide-based doom merchants. “The Unspoken Hymns” is a compilation of rare material that comes out in September. As well there is a whole new record “The Book of Kings” to be released through Osmose before the end of the year.</b></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--f9MWq7Ab34/TkJEZ6mB90I/AAAAAAAAA-w/Fhdbr4hlN2o/s1600/MCband.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--f9MWq7Ab34/TkJEZ6mB90I/AAAAAAAAA-w/Fhdbr4hlN2o/s640/MCband.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What was your first experience with extremely slow doom metal?</b><br />
The early 90's work of Cathedral was probably the first such music I encountered. In the early to mid 90's I was quite a fan of a lot of the Peaceville releases that were emerging but I also liked the idea of taking this style even further. <br />
<br />
<b>What inspire you to play such music? </b><br />
As a drummer, I didn't really consider playing this way until I actually met Damon Good of Mournful Congregation who was composing this sort of material. I liked the idea of playing in such a band but had no idea that there was anyone writing in this way where I lived. Once I heard the first two demos I was convinced this was something I wanted to be a part of.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6RaHbJObP2A/TkJEbRbI-tI/AAAAAAAAA-0/xmpC8ngMD2o/s1600/mccds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6RaHbJObP2A/TkJEbRbI-tI/AAAAAAAAA-0/xmpC8ngMD2o/s640/mccds.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What is the most important in Mournful Congregation – is it the heaviness, the atmosphere, the lyrics or maybe something else?</b><br />
I'd say it's probably a mixture of these things but mostly the atmosphere, the feeling. The correct atmosphere is essential in this type of music.<br />
<br />
<b>Do you see your music as a very demanding one for the listener?</b><br />
It depends on the listener. It's not casual music, not the sort of thing the average person would put on as relaxing background music. Our style does require a certain level of open-mindedness and patience but I don't believe that necessarily renders it demanding.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VkRecg8vG10/TkJEcqZbdTI/AAAAAAAAA-4/thKi43Bu0fo/s1600/Mournful%252BCongregation%252Bmournful.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VkRecg8vG10/TkJEcqZbdTI/AAAAAAAAA-4/thKi43Bu0fo/s400/Mournful%252BCongregation%252Bmournful.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Is extreme/funeral doom metal more over the top and extreme than super fast grindcore in your opinion?</b><br />
Extreme is just a very general word. A person could argue that funeral doom is more extreme in an emotional sense whereas grindcore is more extreme in a brutal sense. To me though, they just can't be compared... and I like both styles. I don't think they are over the top, they just push the envelope of two genres (doom and grind) that were fairly intense to begin with. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lXnun7pL5CU/TkJEdk2G5_I/AAAAAAAAA-8/lg2PoEj6R0M/s1600/4fb15ba7406cfb59578ff166e406d8ad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lXnun7pL5CU/TkJEdk2G5_I/AAAAAAAAA-8/lg2PoEj6R0M/s400/4fb15ba7406cfb59578ff166e406d8ad.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Did you ever feel like a misfit or a reject in the metal scene?</b><br />
Again, the 'metal scene' is a very broad term. The metal scene I know is a collective of friends and musicians that possess a particular commonality. It's more like a brotherhood (with many sisters) and I feel completely at ease in this scene. On the other hand, if I was to go to a shitty commercial metal gig where I was surrounded by inbred halfwits then I'd definitely feel like a misfit/reject and I'd be thoroughly disgusted in myself if I didn't.<br />
<br />
<b>Can you relate to escapism?</b><br />
Yes, completely.</div>Travis Bicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101777142693557473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748506358959692995.post-19774023206530651932011-08-08T14:25:00.003+02:002011-08-19T09:44:24.490+02:00EXTREME DOOM PART IV: Greg Chandler of Esoteric<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ULh5IZHgAyU/Tj_UsOjKcQI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/ll16KVhnFI4/s1600/elogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="96" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ULh5IZHgAyU/Tj_UsOjKcQI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/ll16KVhnFI4/s400/elogo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>This is the fourth part of the series of short interviews with prolific and notable extreme doom metal musicians. They were all asked the same questions to see the different perspective they have for specific aspects of the genre. I spoke to Greg Chandler, guitarist and vocalist of Birmingham-based Esoteric, which is one of the longest-running groups in extreme doom business. The band started around 1992 and so far recorded five full-lengths. 2004’s “Subconscious Dissolution into the Continuum” and critically acclaimed 2008’s double album “The Maniacal Vale” are among their very finest works. Their style consists of tormented vocals and hypnotizing tempos that introduce the listener to the dark endless journey of torture, suffering and damnation. Lately Esoteric recorded their sixth studio effort. A double album "Paragon of Dissonance"</b><b> will be out in November 2011 on Season of Mist.<br />
<br />
What was your first experience with extremely slow doom metal?</b><br />
I guess that the first Cathedral and Paradise Lost albums were my first experience of extremely slow doom metal. Though I also really liked the slow parts in Autopsy’s first two albums, more so in “Mental Funeral”.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HDCQ3ilSDkI/Tj_Ut9TO7WI/AAAAAAAAA-c/_IF32uiK_q0/s1600/eso1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HDCQ3ilSDkI/Tj_Ut9TO7WI/AAAAAAAAA-c/_IF32uiK_q0/s640/eso1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What inspire you to play such music?</b><br />
We were looking to do something different to what we were hearing, yet something that was natural to us, a part of us. So we write music that is inspired by our own emotions, thoughts, philosophies and experiences in life. Focusing mainly on the darker emotions and deeper recesses of the mind, transposed into music and lyrics. We try to focus more on what is within that using other forms of music as influences or inspiration. But yes, some bands, especially when you see them play well live, can be very inspiring.<br />
<br />
<b>What is the most important in Esoteric – is it the heaviness, the atmosphere, the lyrics or maybe something else?</b><br />
I would say that no one thing is more important than another. It is the sum of its parts.<br />
<br />
<b>Do you see your music as a very demanding one for the listener?</b><br />
Yes, particularly on first exposure to our music, I would say that it is music that is hard to comprehend at first. It needs time to grow on the listener as the melodies are not obvious, nor the structures. I think once you get the feeling of the music, if you can relate to the emotions within the music, it’s easier to appreciate.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dwQz6L3TDII/Tj_Uv3QEyEI/AAAAAAAAA-g/JGR8akr7mCo/s1600/esocds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dwQz6L3TDII/Tj_Uv3QEyEI/AAAAAAAAA-g/JGR8akr7mCo/s640/esocds.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Is extreme/funeral doom metal more over the top and extreme than super fast grindcore in your opinion?</b><br />
I think you get different levels of extremity within all styles of music. It’s hard to compare really. It’s more about the intensity of the atmosphere and the music rather than the style or speed.<br />
<br />
<b>Is doom metal a state of mind or just another sub-genre of metal?</b><br />
That would depend on the individual I think, it isn’t an answer that I think could be generalised. I think people that listen to similar styles of music still have different states of mind. Some are very involved or passionate about music and others less so.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PL72yWXJj_o/Tj_Ux3YSwWI/AAAAAAAAA-k/8h9EyWXdcBs/s1600/esoband.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PL72yWXJj_o/Tj_Ux3YSwWI/AAAAAAAAA-k/8h9EyWXdcBs/s400/esoband.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Did you ever feel like a misfit or a reject in the metal scene?</b><br />
Perhaps in the first few years of the bands existence when there were very few extreme, slow bands, many people didn’t get the music and found it too slow. I wouldn’t say that we felt like misfits, but simply that we didn’t fit into any category too easily and didn’t always go down so well with the crowds of other bands when playing live.<br />
<br />
<b>Can you relate to escapism?</b><br />
I think most people have an interest or recreation that could be defined as escapism.</div>Travis Bicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101777142693557473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748506358959692995.post-26219775239965547812011-07-29T21:03:00.000+02:002011-07-29T21:03:32.276+02:00EXTREME DOOM PART III: Niko Skorpio of Thergothon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qQDVuEskLMA/TjMCkiaECkI/AAAAAAAAA-E/dusN_ymqK8A/s1600/therlogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="53" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qQDVuEskLMA/TjMCkiaECkI/AAAAAAAAA-E/dusN_ymqK8A/s400/therlogo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>This is the third part of the series of short interviews with prolific and notable extreme doom metal musicians. They were all asked the same questions to see the different perspective they have for specific aspects of the genre. I spoke to Niko Skorpio former vocalist and keyboard player of the split-up Finnish band Thergothon, which was one of the most important groups of the extreme doom underground. Their only album “Stream from the Heavens”, released in 1994, is a milestone of obscure and tortured funeral sound. In 2009 bands such as Mournful Congregation, Evoken, Asunder, Worship, Officium Triste and more paid their homage to Finnish pioneers with a double tribute album “Rising of Yog-Sothoth”. In spite of not being active in the metal scene Niko Skorpio answered to a couple of questions about the dark past.</b><br />
<br />
<b>What was your first experience with extremely slow doom metal?</b><br />
Depends on what you mean by extremely slow. Early Paradise Lost and Cathedral (the two tracks on “Dark Passages” compilation) are the first that come to mind. But I think we considered them only halfway down that road and we wanted to go way slower ourselves.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GjOr_NWIyDQ/TjMCpMmFdOI/AAAAAAAAA-I/LqAS1mbC3g0/s1600/876_photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GjOr_NWIyDQ/TjMCpMmFdOI/AAAAAAAAA-I/LqAS1mbC3g0/s400/876_photo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What inspired you to play such music?</b><br />
We found it a suitable way to express and exorcise the negative emotions we were experiencing. I think each of us was suffering from the kind of existential angst common to most teenagers everywhere. I don't think we were influenced by any other bands but in retrospect it's quite clear we were influenced by Bathory (especially “Blood Fire Death” & “Hammerheart”), Paradise Lost, Cathedral, Black Sabbath, Tiamat, Mana Mana and obviously my lyrics were influenced by H.P. Lovecraft. As for places I've been interested in all kinds of desolate and abandoned surroundings since a kid, the atmosphere felt in those kind of places might have been and influence on some level.<br />
<br />
<b>What was the most important in Thergothon – is it the heaviness, the atmosphere, the lyrics or maybe something else?</b><br />
The atmosphere. Everything else happened just to support it.<br />
<b><br />
Do you see your music as a very demanding one for the listener?</b><br />
I don't know, it depends on the individual listener and his or her musical background, taste, openness to things he or she haven't heard before and so on.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yhArhPssOGA/TjMCs3Ml3QI/AAAAAAAAA-M/yiPX3QnBUIA/s1600/thergcds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="324" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yhArhPssOGA/TjMCs3Ml3QI/AAAAAAAAA-M/yiPX3QnBUIA/s640/thergcds.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Is extreme/funeral doom metal more over the top and extreme than super fast grindcore in your opinion?</b><br />
I have no opinion on this, except that it sounds like another of these "my daddy is more extreme than yours" things.<br />
<br />
<b>Is doom metal a state of mind or just another sub-genre of metal?</b><br />
Just another sub-genre of metal.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0RMItiYdifk/TjMCurqr7eI/AAAAAAAAA-Q/nybEpzKI6zE/s1600/e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0RMItiYdifk/TjMCurqr7eI/AAAAAAAAA-Q/nybEpzKI6zE/s400/e.jpg" width="351" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Did you ever feel like a misfit or a reject in the metal scene?</b><br />
Not really, more like an outsider. Then again I feel like an outsider in most social surroundings I find myself in. Anyway, consider the fact that all the hype about Thergothon appeared some ten or more years after we had terminated the band. Back in the years the band was active there were maybe ten people in the world who really cared about our music. Luckily a few of those people ran record labels.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Can you relate to escapism?</b><br />
I guess so, up to some extent, as most of us. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NcABdgFvrxw/TjMCvyuKs_I/AAAAAAAAA-U/3eay2mfCXEs/s1600/l7gzzeqqohs88sq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NcABdgFvrxw/TjMCvyuKs_I/AAAAAAAAA-U/3eay2mfCXEs/s400/l7gzzeqqohs88sq.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What do you think about the “Rising of Yog-Sothoth” tribute album?</b><br />
To be honest I never listened to that tribute album. In general I'm not a fan of tribute things, and the idea of metal bands covering a metal band didn't really pick my interest. Having said that, I must add that I do appreciate and respect the efforts of those involved in that project. It is of course an honour having been involved in something people want to pay tribute to.<br />
Thergothon was just something I did for a couple of years as a teenager, nothing more, nothing less. There's plenty of other things I've been involved since which have been more important and creatively rewarding to me personally. I'm aware it's hard for some people to see things from my perspective, but so be it.</div>Travis Bicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101777142693557473noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748506358959692995.post-4959896846490916322011-07-27T21:38:00.000+02:002011-07-27T21:38:08.714+02:00EXTREME DOOM PART II: Matt Skarajew of Disembowelment/Dusk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mV8XV-wRk_Y/TjBmQD3PRaI/AAAAAAAAA9w/-q-Hazj2s4s/s1600/d-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mV8XV-wRk_Y/TjBmQD3PRaI/AAAAAAAAA9w/-q-Hazj2s4s/s320/d-logo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>This is the second part of the series of short interviews with prolific and notable extreme doom metal musicians. They were all asked the same questions to see the different perspective they have for specific aspects of the genre. I spoke to Matthew Skarajew, bass player for obscure doom death metal group Disembowelment from Melbourne, Australia. They have released only one full-length “Transcendence into the Peripheral” in 1993 but what a groundbreaking and horrifying album was it. 18 years later it still seriously kicks ass. Now the band is active again as Dusk and performed live for the first time in 2011 because the original Disembowelment never had a chance to do so. Some new material might be on its way.</b><br />
<br />
<b>What was your first experience with extremely slow doom metal? </b><br />
For me it was Sabbath, Candlemass, Trouble and the doomy aspects of early Mercyful Fate, Death, Autopsy. Some bands had doomy moments that really stayed in your memory. That can be just as powerful. So I would include Venom and Celtic Frost. Some might be surprised by that but if you know that material well you should see where I am coming from. It was not an instant realization, rather something that grew over time.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4yQL0VvEo_o/TjBmUicgEOI/AAAAAAAAA90/NuBsA19H32Y/s1600/dband.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="514" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4yQL0VvEo_o/TjBmUicgEOI/AAAAAAAAA90/NuBsA19H32Y/s640/dband.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What inspired you to play such music?</b><br />
I remember watching an early video of Trouble live in a tv studio at a party one night. It was so heavy and brooding. Such great attitude. Also I was playing in a thrash band in the late 80's and we had a comparatively slow and heavy song that the crowds always seemed to love. We realized people liked the slow stuff just as much as the really fast stuff. The second Disembowelment demo was very inspiring too. We were already friends but I loved it and offered my services. I know Renato loved early Sabbath and Paul was corresponding with Gary Jennings of Cathedral at the time. Their early demos were inspiring. All of Disembowelment had a great love and respect for a Melbourne band Persecution. They were utterly crushing live. As good as any band of the time and so heavy. Their doom was mind blowing. A big influence for us. For me it was not just metal though. I was brought up listening to a lot of dark ambient music and loved the idea of incorporating that into the heavy context.<br />
<br />
<b>What was the most important in Disembowelment – is it the heaviness, the atmosphere, the lyrics or maybe something else?</b><br />
Well the most important element in d.USK is a balance between the musical elements, light and shade, sparse and complex textures, rhythmic and melodic contours. This is in my opinion the secret to playing heavy music. We absolutely try to avoid repetition in any one of those factors. Lyrically we always try to tell an impartial story be it in the first or third person. Creating atmosphere is also a key component. Always has been and was the ultimate key to Disembowelment. Keep in mind it is the balance of the elements we seek.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gK60zUa4u40/TjBmWh7BhJI/AAAAAAAAA94/BUZqh6lzpdc/s1600/d-cds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="323" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gK60zUa4u40/TjBmWh7BhJI/AAAAAAAAA94/BUZqh6lzpdc/s640/d-cds.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Do you see your music as a very demanding one for the listener?</b><br />
d.USK should not in theory be particularly demanding for any listener. We are trying to avoid the epic style of songs that Disembowelment featured. That developed more out of youthful enthusiasm and ignorance than anything. That's not to discredit what we have previously done but looking back the songs can suffer at times from being a little over self-indulgent length-wise. I want d.USK to be able to entertain a listener in a live context, so we use d.USK as a vehicle to break up the long-winded nature of the old Disembowelment tunes. For example we have a new doom track that clocks in at around five minutes! That's new for us but still feels complete. It's like playing a half of an old song!<br />
<br />
<b>Is extreme/funeral doom metal more over the top and extreme than super fast grindcore in your opinion?</b><br />
More over the top? No it is simply the inverse. If I understand what you are implying. I like to see variation in a set or on a recording not a continuous stream of fast or slow.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TA8p5IETgag/TjBmZmd6RLI/AAAAAAAAA98/gKARjBMK9CQ/s1600/dusk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TA8p5IETgag/TjBmZmd6RLI/AAAAAAAAA98/gKARjBMK9CQ/s640/dusk.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Is doom metal a state of mind or just another sub-genre of metal?</b><br />
I think it is fair to consider doom metal as a substantiated sub-genre.<br />
<br />
<b>Did you ever feel like a misfit or a reject in the metal scene?</b><br />
Never. We're from the old school. We celebrated metal in most forms except glam and religious-based music. One of the big disappointments for me in the early 90's was the super-cool tribalism that developed and the split in the local scene. In Melbourne, throughout the 80's all kinds of bands played together and the crowds were a great mix. You got exposed to all kinds of metal and accepted each others' tastes. Admittedly we were keen to eschew some of the clichés of the death metal scene at the time. This was two-fold. It gave us a unique angle and subsequent foot-hold in the scene and quite frankly some of the imagery and topical ideas seemed very childish or simplistic to us at the time. It is a little known fact that we momentarily tried to change the band name from Disembowelment to d.USK before the full-length came out but Relapse would not allow it even by that age we were a bit embarrassed by the name at least the visual profile made up for it.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x4_Qa0R1Pgg/TjBnmfKCvyI/AAAAAAAAA-A/4dS_osQNXAg/s1600/duskmattpaul.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="451" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x4_Qa0R1Pgg/TjBnmfKCvyI/AAAAAAAAA-A/4dS_osQNXAg/s640/duskmattpaul.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Can you relate to escapism?</b><br />
I think it would be fair to say yes. I think escapism is a natural human phenomenon in many shapes and forms. Perhaps as long as it doesn't distort your concept of reality. That might be unhealthy. I like holidays. I like to have a glass of wine in the evening. That's all escapism isn't it? And I suppose slamming out brutal and heavy music is a great positive form of escapism. I'd recommend people stick to positive life-affirming escapism. I have personal reservations about religion-based escapism. It's a broad notion though very subjective to us all. Spending time with my family and spending time with my guitars and amps is a great escape from the menial or tough aspects of everyday life. I can certainly relate to that.</div>Travis Bicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101777142693557473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748506358959692995.post-23888200024662206222011-07-25T19:59:00.000+02:002011-07-25T19:59:38.724+02:00EXTREME DOOM PART I: John Paradiso of Evoken<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DCZ_XBB_LBo/Ti2thXJgA2I/AAAAAAAAA9c/M8TbWBDWHjg/s1600/evologo1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="104" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DCZ_XBB_LBo/Ti2thXJgA2I/AAAAAAAAA9c/M8TbWBDWHjg/s640/evologo1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>This is the first part of the series of short interviews with prolific and notable extreme doom metal musicians. They were all asked the same questions to see the different perspective they have for specific aspects of the genre. First one of them is John Paradiso, guitarist and vocalist of New Jersey monumental and monstrous act Evoken. The band is active since 1994 and released bludgeoning albums such as “Embrace the Emptiness” (1998), “Quietus” (2001), “Antithesis of Light” (2005) and “A Caress of the Void” (2007), which indisputably belong to extreme doom finest achievements. The group is currently writing their fifth opus and heading into the studio later this year.</b></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O34ZIkigBaI/Ti2tmDuwzNI/AAAAAAAAA9g/yhuSUnXrFIo/s1600/evoken2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O34ZIkigBaI/Ti2tmDuwzNI/AAAAAAAAA9g/yhuSUnXrFIo/s640/evoken2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What was your first experience with extremely slow doom metal?</b><br />
My first experience with extremely slow doom had to be the Thergothon demo.<br />
<br />
<b>What inspired you to play such music?</b><br />
Mainly, it was that you can be more creative with doom. What I mean by that is you can have parts in your songs that wouldn't sound right in standard death metal. I also find that to be true with black metal.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Rf2Tc82uQY/Ti2tobW6zxI/AAAAAAAAA9k/EgYvfgnQwxI/s1600/evo1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Rf2Tc82uQY/Ti2tobW6zxI/AAAAAAAAA9k/EgYvfgnQwxI/s640/evo1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What is the most important in Evoken – is it the heaviness, the atmosphere, the lyrics or maybe something else?</b><br />
The heaviness is up there but it has to satisfy my ears the most. I think the production is very important to capture the atmosphere of the pieces we write.<br />
<br />
<b>Do you see your music as a very demanding one for the listener?</b><br />
Yes, I think that's why we don't sell as well as we should. The average listener can't dedicate an hour of their time to experience the CD like it was meant to be.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TWvtayD-6_k/Ti2tqtsbWPI/AAAAAAAAA9o/aizkcfitUzI/s1600/evokencds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TWvtayD-6_k/Ti2tqtsbWPI/AAAAAAAAA9o/aizkcfitUzI/s640/evokencds.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Is extreme/funeral doom metal more over the top and extreme than super fast grindcore in your opinion?</b><br />
I'm not sure about more over the top. I think it requires more thought because you are challenged to keep the listener’s attention with material that is usually over ten minutes long.<br />
<br />
<b>Is doom metal a state of mind or just another sub-genre of metal?</b><br />
A state of mind by far. It's the ugly, grim version of what it might be like to journey to hell.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3hagTbmHOcw/Ti2tuFIbTrI/AAAAAAAAA9s/ESJnWGTz6Rs/s1600/Evoken2007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3hagTbmHOcw/Ti2tuFIbTrI/AAAAAAAAA9s/ESJnWGTz6Rs/s640/Evoken2007.jpg" width="540" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Did you ever feel like a misfit or a reject in the metal scene?</b><br />
No, more like just overlooked. Maybe if it was played constantly on the metal stations like 89.5 here in Jersey we could see just how many people could appreciate it.</div>Travis Bicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101777142693557473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748506358959692995.post-45496878393942548842011-07-24T11:57:00.092+02:002011-09-27T21:29:37.052+02:00EXTREME DOOM METAL INTERVIEWS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Extreme doom is one of the most underground, misunderstood, overlooked and uncompromising genres of metal. I decided to speak to the musicians who are or were a part of it to get to know more about their true inspirations, experiences and motivations. They were all asked the same questions. Here what they had to say.</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.wewither.com/2011/07/extreme-doom-part-i-john-paradiso-of.html"><img border="0" height="52" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oB1OUmkwxT8/Tk-Fy5YpyNI/AAAAAAAAA_o/P0wTjGkhMSE/s320/evologo1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.wewither.com/2011/07/extreme-doom-part-i-john-paradiso-of.html">John Paradiso of EVOKEN (USA)</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="140" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UiZBB9LeP8c/Tk-F3K1MIbI/AAAAAAAAA_s/eHKjBwDyElg/s320/d-logo.jpg" width="320" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.wewither.com/2011/07/extreme-doom-part-ii-matt-skarajew-of.html"> Matt Skarajew of DISEMBOWELMENT/DUSK (Australia)</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.wewither.com/2011/08/extreme-doom-part-iv-greg-chandler-of.html"><img border="0" height="77" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XhUgmsKFg80/Tk-F6me0CnI/AAAAAAAAA_w/fMsR4Lxh_Ak/s320/elogo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.wewither.com/2011/08/extreme-doom-part-iv-greg-chandler-of.html">Greg Chandler of ESOTERIC (England)</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="43" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZH0dM3X1mGg/Tk-F-ol-EBI/AAAAAAAAA_0/cWrElf_bBV0/s320/therlogo.jpg" width="320" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.wewither.com/2011/07/extreme-doom-part-iii-niko-skorpio-of.html">Niko Skorpio of THERGOTHON (Finland)</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dHblL0CEjV4/Tk-GBWGxPKI/AAAAAAAAA_4/VPqTlW7QUYU/s1600/MClogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="84" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dHblL0CEjV4/Tk-GBWGxPKI/AAAAAAAAA_4/VPqTlW7QUYU/s320/MClogo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.wewither.com/2011/08/extreme-doom-part-v-adrian-bickle-of.html">Adrian Bickle of MOURNFUL CONGREGATION (Australia)</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4zZSfQUzEfs/Tk-GD0SuQFI/AAAAAAAAA_8/wDCumj4MeIA/s1600/112466_logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4zZSfQUzEfs/Tk-GD0SuQFI/AAAAAAAAA_8/wDCumj4MeIA/s320/112466_logo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.wewither.com/2011/08/extreme-doom-part-vi-lasse-pyykko-of.html">Lasse Pyykko of HOODED MENACE (Finland)</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YTa_ifqDs-o/ToIi4V8kRnI/AAAAAAAABBY/wGqi4DUIZhw/s1600/mblogo2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YTa_ifqDs-o/ToIi4V8kRnI/AAAAAAAABBY/wGqi4DUIZhw/s1600/mblogo2.jpg" /></a></div><a href="http://www.wewither.com/2011/08/extreme-doom-part-viii-brendan-roache.html">Brendan Roache of MOURNING BELOVETH (Ireland)</a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="106" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JN_fS6e3MyQ/Tk-GGE_NV1I/AAAAAAAABAA/Gsnzqd-w-gA/s320/funlogo.jpg" width="320" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.wewither.com/2011/08/extreme-doom-part-vii-anders-eek-of.html">Anders Eek of FUNERAL (Norway)</a></td></tr>
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</tbody></table>Travis Bicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101777142693557473noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748506358959692995.post-21554247188933121962011-07-19T17:21:00.001+02:002011-07-19T19:44:17.671+02:00ALTAR OF PLAGUES – Celtic Blast<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C0M8_x7onA4/TiWflugH04I/AAAAAAAAA9I/Z-VB1i3SjDU/s1600/logo3+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C0M8_x7onA4/TiWflugH04I/AAAAAAAAA9I/Z-VB1i3SjDU/s320/logo3+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>They took the metal underground by storm. But two strong EPs, “Through the Crack of the Earth” and “Sol”, published consecutively in 2007 and 2008 were only heralds of what was about to happen later. Their debut long play “White Tomb” marched high on the ‘best of’ lists of 2009 and Tom G. Warrior, as a curator of the Roadburn festival, invited the Irish group to be a part of the “Only Death is Real” event in April 2010 by performing the record live in its entirety. The band returned in 2011 with a second album, “Mammal”, in the meantime releasing an excellent EP, “Tides”, which only made their music a more obscure and disturbing wave of intensive sounds. Again they hit deadly and precisely. Altar of Plagues’ guitarist and vocalist James Kelly talks to We Wither about post-black metal, Ireland and poetry.</b><br />
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<b>“White Tomb” was a quality record and it was acclaimed too. Do you think you have bettered it with “Mammal”?</b><br />
I would never describe something new as 'bettering' something older. They were created for different reasons, under different circumstances, and with different motivations musical and emotional. We were extremely pleased with “White Tomb” and likewise we are equally pleased with “Mammal”. Something that felt different to me when writing and recording "Mammal" is that we are now much more comfortable working together and we have a far more natural dynamic as writers. We have improved our craft, so to speak.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wQTHC48H1VU/TiWfpLZuvMI/AAAAAAAAA9M/zJtTsvnORKo/s1600/aopband.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wQTHC48H1VU/TiWfpLZuvMI/AAAAAAAAA9M/zJtTsvnORKo/s640/aopband.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Was the writing process of “Mammal” any different to the previous sessions?</b><br />
It was written in a very natural and impulsive manner. “Mammal” essentially came about as we had reached the point where we felt we were ready to create an album. We felt inspired and our energy levels were high. We toured quite a bit last year and the intense energy of live performance found its way into our writing. I wrote the basic tracks first and we collectively structured them. We prefer to let the music dictate its own structure and this was especially the case when writing "Mammal". It is about achieving a sort of emotional exhaustion or climax. Once we have delivered that motivational force then we know a track is complete.<br />
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<b>How close to perfection is the sound of “Mammal” in your opinion? Did you achieve everything you wanted with it? Is there any room for improvement?</b><br />
Yes we feel that we have achieved everything that we wanted with it. We anticipate the recording process, and now having endured it a number of times, we know what we like and don't like, and how we wish to approach it, generally speaking. During the mixing process we are quite meticulous and ensure everything is exactly as we want it to be. But once we all agree that the work is complete, we no longer listen to it in a critical manner and we simply engage with it as listeners.<br />
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<b>Does post-black metal mean anything to you? Isn’t it just a label created for the lack of accurate words to describe your style?</b><br />
I have never been a fan of that word as it has far too many negative connotations. It is generally associated with the word 'hipster' – a word that means nothing to a man from rural Ireland. If people struggle to pigeonhole us then that is only a good thing in my opinion. We have never been interested in being a copy cat band, or a part of a specific scene. We simply do what we want to do. I am very much enjoying the black metal, or derivatives of black metal, that have appeared in the past number of years. There is a true honesty behind all of this, I believe.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4sD6m-OnuAU/TiWftQ7KsOI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/aRCeggAXbvY/s1600/mammal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4sD6m-OnuAU/TiWftQ7KsOI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/aRCeggAXbvY/s640/mammal.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>“Mammal” is issued with different cover art through Profound Lore in America and Candlelight in Europe. Was that your idea? Which art is your first choice?</b><br />
This was a choice made collectively between ourselves and the labels. It was not any sort of a marketing ploy to sell extra copies (we detest such things), it was just a simple means of keeping both releases distinct from one another. We decided that we would choose two very different artworks, but wanted both to be entirely representative of the album’s concepts. We are extremely pleased with the outcome. The photograph used for the Candlelight edition was captured by Daniel Sesé, whose work I came by when looking at some photography. We contacted Ketola as I am a huge admirer of his work and I was confident that he would be more than capable of creating the right piece, which we feel he did. I like that both covers are quite ambiguous and are open to interpretation. However, both artworks were created (in the case of the Profound Lore edition) or sourced (in the case of the Candlelight edition) after the album was completed and as such the lyrical content was in mind throughout this process. I think that the representational value of each cover becomes somewhat more apparent when one reads the lyrics to “Mammal”.<br />
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<b>How did you get to release your EP “Tides” through Burning World Records?</b><br />
Quite simple actually - they just sent us a message saying that they would like to work with us.<br />
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<b>What are the chances of you getting your Roadburn show published?</b><br />
I'm not entirely sure. For various reasons we were not entirely happy with our set(s) but it’s a lesson learned. I have not listened to the recording myself but I'm not confident that they would be the best possible representation of our live performance.<br />
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<b>What is the inspiration of Emily Dickinson’s poetry to your music?</b><br />
Her work is immensely beautiful while touching upon some of the darkest subjects. She sees the world in a very unique way and describes her world with such colourful language. Her personality shines through her work and I think if you read a number of her poems consecutively you may begin to see how her moods change, often indicated by optimism or pessimism. There is a great deal of ambiguity in her work which I also enjoy as it allows the reader to make their own interpretations, as opposed to some other poets of similar statue who may have been less reclusive, and actually provide explanations of their work.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TXgEI0i-E18/TiWfvI8rtwI/AAAAAAAAA9U/xzSXKIA4bmg/s1600/liveaop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TXgEI0i-E18/TiWfvI8rtwI/AAAAAAAAA9U/xzSXKIA4bmg/s640/liveaop.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What other literature would you name as an inspiration to Altar of Plagues?</b><br />
John Steinbeck’s "To a God Unknown", W.B Yeat's "The Second Coming", J.M. Synge’s "The Playboy of the Western World", Aldo Leopold’s "A Sand County Almanac".<br />
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<b>Is Altar of Plagues mainly a live band? Is playing live hard work or something you always look forward to and enjoy?</b><br />
Writing and performing live are my favourite aspects of music. Recording is a necessary evil. I believe that the music only truly exists when we perform it. That is when it is a living, real thing. Recorded music is just a document. While recordings serve their own purpose, I believe strongly in the power of live energy.<br />
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<b>Could you say a little about the upcoming project, the split with Year of No Light?</b><br />
It is a track from the "White Tomb" album recording sessions. It was unfinished and we revisited it this year to complete it. I think that it will stand out among our other tracks as somewhat unusual but we like this piece very much.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WW5KNOoAQ2U/TiWfxbRrPKI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/t7EIHhZrF1Q/s1600/3aop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WW5KNOoAQ2U/TiWfxbRrPKI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/t7EIHhZrF1Q/s640/3aop.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Cork seems to be a distant location, somewhere in the south of Ireland, away from Dublin. Is the vibe, the atmosphere of the city present in what you do?</b><br />
If it is, then it is not consciously. I grew up in the country-side and that is what has influenced me most. Cork is a very grey place, as is Ireland in general. But Ireland, despite many of its less appealing qualities, is the place that makes me most happy.<br />
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<b>What would be your dream-come-true tour line-up to be a part of?</b><br />
We don't really think about such things. To be honest, every tour that we do is a great experience.</div>Travis Bicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101777142693557473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748506358959692995.post-37550564719988263152011-06-21T18:43:00.000+02:002011-06-21T18:43:58.049+02:00SARKE – The Way of Old<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J3b0fAIZnJE/TgDIvs1aVBI/AAAAAAAAA8w/tT-0L6apxns/s1600/sarke_700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="105" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J3b0fAIZnJE/TgDIvs1aVBI/AAAAAAAAA8w/tT-0L6apxns/s320/sarke_700.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b> At the beginning a one-off project, Sarke became a regular band with the release of their second longplay ”Oldarhian” in 2011. The full line-up is packed with members of such extraordinary Norwegian hordes as Spiral Architect, Ihsahn, Susperia, and Satyricon, which gives all the right to say that this time it’s serious. The band is led by Thomas ”Sarke” Bergli, previously better known as a drummer in both Khold and Tulus, and completed with the unique figure of Nocturno Culto. It takes the cold and raw Scandinavian sound to its deepest roots. Mixing all that is best in thrash, heavy and black metal classics, Sarke offers records which are simply a joy to listen to. Primitively and straightforwardly, they strike with old school passion, distance and humour. Sarke himself explains matters in a telegraphic manner.</b></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ifukf7OdGCA/TgDIzFXheeI/AAAAAAAAA80/aFEB-wmbLHI/s1600/sarke2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="404" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ifukf7OdGCA/TgDIzFXheeI/AAAAAAAAA80/aFEB-wmbLHI/s640/sarke2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>“Oldarhian” is a more complex record in a structure than “Vorunah”. Is this because there are now more people involved in the band beside just Nocturno and yourself?</b><br />
Yes, I think so. On the first album I did everything by myself and worked a lot on my own. On the second release there were more people involved. We rehearsed a little bit and spent more time in the studio.<br />
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<b>“Oldarhian” was released almost exactly two years after “Vorunah”. What were you up to during that time?</b><br />
Sarke was supposed to release only one album. It did well and more and more people were asking for it, both live and new stuff. So me and Nocturno agreed to put a band together and do some live shows and release a second album.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Naj2f5aa8jw/TgDI2O9AQSI/AAAAAAAAA84/HV_3Kz0avf4/s1600/two1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="460" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Naj2f5aa8jw/TgDI2O9AQSI/AAAAAAAAA84/HV_3Kz0avf4/s640/two1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>How did the release party of “Oldarhian” go? Did you do any extra songs like surprise covers or other stuff?</b><br />
It went very well and there was a lot of people coming from different countries. Great sound and a great crowd. We only did songs from our two albums.<br />
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<b>You recorded the whole “Vorunah” album by yourself except the vocals and keyboards. How challenging is it to complete guitars, bass and drums tracks alone from scratch?</b><br />
It’s very ok. I can do everything my way. With Khold and Tulus I have to explain to the guitarist how I want them to play the riffs. With Sarke I could just do it myself. And also it was great to do it at my tempo. That’s fast. Often just one take and move on.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7c083GNCC8w/TgDI3qcL4yI/AAAAAAAAA88/wpefB6k3bYA/s1600/2cds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="323" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7c083GNCC8w/TgDI3qcL4yI/AAAAAAAAA88/wpefB6k3bYA/s640/2cds.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Your lyrics on the first album, especially ones like the title-track “Vorunah” or “Old” are very striking and to the point, pure brilliance. Did you want to keep them simple to emphasise the old-school classic heavy metal style of the record?</b><br />
Yes, you could say that. Direct and primitive, just like the music.<br />
<b><br />
In the interview for Lordsofmetal.nl you said: “Vorunah is someone living inside you that you hate and can’t control”. Is it actually possible to play loud metal music and to live it without having such a demon?</b><br />
Maybe not. Metal people are something for themselves. Metal music is always best loud and of course with demons.<br />
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<b>Could you tell me what was the reason to start Sarke? You play in Khold and Tulus as well, so you shouldn’t be lacking metal.</b><br />
The reason is I want to release a solo album with music that has inspired me since I got into the metal scene. I think I did that very well.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bRfKUholqao/TgDI5-RlnMI/AAAAAAAAA9A/tqWq5Ld0Xm8/s1600/two-live2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="475" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bRfKUholqao/TgDI5-RlnMI/AAAAAAAAA9A/tqWq5Ld0Xm8/s640/two-live2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Did you want Sarke to be a live band from the beginning or did that idea came later on?</b><br />
It was going to be one record only and that’s it. But here I am with a second album, full line up and several live shows.<br />
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<b>Was Nocturno Culto the first and only choice for the vocalist of Sarke, or did you try any other guys too?</b><br />
He was my first choice and the vocalist I wanted very much for my record. Of course if he had said no, I would have had to look for someone else, but luckily, he said yes.<br />
<b><br />
Does the fact that there is a lot going on around Sarke right now mean a hiatus for Khold and Tulus?</b><br />
No, Khold had a break long before that. We are doing four festivals with Khold this year. Tulus is on and off depending on what we feel about it.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RiaPHUSU5Mk/TgDI9XdcxPI/AAAAAAAAA9E/gx0erz4nJuk/s1600/sarke1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="392" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RiaPHUSU5Mk/TgDI9XdcxPI/AAAAAAAAA9E/gx0erz4nJuk/s640/sarke1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Was the photo on the cover of “Oldarhian” taken especially for Sarke or did you pick it up from Bahrin Diana’s portfolio? And what the hell is it? A dragon sleeping beneath the snow? Maybe Vorunah himself?</b><br />
It was not made exclusively for us. It’s something dark, that’s for sure.<br />
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<b>Now with six creative people in the band, can we expect another record sooner than in two years?</b><br />
Maybe, we have to take one at the time. I’m not sure when the next will be out.</div>Travis Bicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101777142693557473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748506358959692995.post-77133260287181921182011-05-16T22:52:00.000+02:002011-05-16T22:52:20.912+02:00THE GATES OF SLUMBER – Iron Hammer of Doom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0knOijCnfU8/TdGNJvDjJoI/AAAAAAAAA8Y/mEJhGc8hDvY/s1600/logoGoS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0knOijCnfU8/TdGNJvDjJoI/AAAAAAAAA8Y/mEJhGc8hDvY/s400/logoGoS.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Doom heavy metal would be the best term to describe what Indianapolis-based trio The Gates of Slumber is about. Mixing the classic vibe and groove of timeless mammoths such as Saint Vitus, Pentagram or Trouble, they have added a fresh touch and actually reinvented the sub-genre once again. Since their 2004 debut “…The Awakening” they have released another four records with the “Suffer No Guilt”, “Conqueror” and “Hymns of Blood and Thunder” albums all being huge steps forward. May 2011 saw the premiere of their fifth and strongest full-length so far, ”The Wretch”, which is out on Rise Above. Karl Simon, the band’s leader, vocalist and guitar player, told We Wither about the opportunity of recording in Europe, his inspirations and the difference between doom and occult metal.<br />
<br />
Your music doesn’t sound like you only started the band in 2000. Are The Gates of Slumber a response to modern trends in metal?</b><br />
No, not at all. The Gates of Slumber is music that we want to make. Music we want to hear and that’s all. I don’t follow much that happens in the modern metal scene. So I can’t react to it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mb7uuiMZWA4/TdGNMCArXMI/AAAAAAAAA8c/8srxOACC6BQ/s1600/gos1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mb7uuiMZWA4/TdGNMCArXMI/AAAAAAAAA8c/8srxOACC6BQ/s640/gos1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>You’re on the label run by the guy from Cathedral and the roster includes Electric Wizard and Church of Misery. Can things get any better for you?</b><br />
Well, that’s a loaded question, isn’t it? Things could always be better... but with regards to our label, we are very happy to be on Rise Above. They have taken a lot of interest in us and treated us with a great deal of consideration. Both Lee and Will are awesome guys.<br />
<br />
<b>What was the direct inspiration which lead you to form the band?</b><br />
Saint Vitus. Back in high school, I sang in punk bands, cover bands, whatever... you know? Just to make music. But my first love has always been Black Sabbath. I could never find a suitable group of people to do a band along those lines, so me and Chuck Brown from Apostle of Solitude formed The Keep... things kind of ground to a halt after a couple of years because we couldn’t keep a guitarist. I was playing bass at the time. We also had different ideas as to what we wanted to do. I went off, bought a guitar and started working on The Gates of Slumber.<br />
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<b>People usually say there’s no way you can beat the classics. In this situation, it would be bands such as Saint Vitus, Pentagram and Trouble. You took the challenge and you have succeeded. Is it difficult to find something fresh in the sub-genre so exploited and worn-out?</b><br />
I don’t know if we’ve bested Saint Vitus, Trouble or Pentagram, but thank you! I also don’t know if doom metal is exploited and worn-out. To me it’s actually less worn than any other style of metal. Certainly black, death, and true metal are all way more exploited than doom! Coming up with something fresh is just a matter of time and work. You have to write a lot of bad songs to come up with a good one, at least that’s my theory. Write ten songs throw nine away and that one is as good as it’s going to get.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PKu_Hy8aSmk/TdGNObui0xI/AAAAAAAAA8g/91sLZ57J_pE/s1600/wretcg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PKu_Hy8aSmk/TdGNObui0xI/AAAAAAAAA8g/91sLZ57J_pE/s320/wretcg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>“The Wretch” is unquestionably your best effort to date. Was the writing process the same as with the four previous records or was something different this time?</b><br />
There was actually a lot less stress on this one. Jason and I decided that we were going to go back to the more doom laden style that was represented on “The Awakening” and to an extent “Suffer No Guilt”. It was a very simple thing to do. The kinds of riffs that are all over “The Wretch” are like second nature to me. It was much harder to do things like you’ve heard on “Conqueror” or “Hymns of Blood and Thunder”. And thank you by the way. I really like “The Wretch” as well. I think it’s our best record too.<br />
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<b>You’ve been on Rise Above since “Hymns of Blood and Thunder”, so it’s no real surprise that you recorded “The Wretch” in London in Orgone Studios, but still it’s a significant fact. Why did you decide to travel so far for the session?</b><br />
Well, Rise Above was into the idea of us doing the record in England, and it wasn’t too hard to convince us to do that. Let’s see, do a record in Chicago, or Indianapolis... or go to London, one of the most exciting cities in the world and record. And get to see Saint Vitus live at the Underworld, check out the Cathedral 25th anniversary gig (we missed the “Forest of Equilibrium” set though... damn).<br />
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<b>The third song from the new album “To the Rack with Them” offers a similar groove and drive to the Vitus piece “Living Backwards”. Doesn’t every proper old-school doom record demand a banger like that?</b><br />
I think so. We’ve always tried to vary our tempos. Like Vitus or Trouble, or Sabbath did. A one dimensional record is a one dimensional record... no good.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rfr91vUl-Hw/TdGNQxyW6lI/AAAAAAAAA8k/IX11elTxm-k/s1600/gos3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rfr91vUl-Hw/TdGNQxyW6lI/AAAAAAAAA8k/IX11elTxm-k/s640/gos3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>How much fun is it to play enormous anthems such as “God Wills It”, “Descent into Madness” or “Dark Valley Suite” live? These songs are more than 10-minutes-long. Do people dig them or rather prefer shorter tracks?</b><br />
We very rarely play these long songs live really. “Descent Into Madness” is the only one of the three we’ve ever done. I doubt we’ll ever do any of them again, really... maybe “Descent into Madness”. Really for the most part a 10-12 minutes song is going to eat up a big chunk of a 45-minutes-long set, which is what we mostly get to play on tour. With the rest of our songs being mainly between 5 and 8 minutes that is a big chunk of time. Who knows though, if we decide to throw one in we decide to throw one in. One never knows.<br />
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<b>Are you into checking out younger bands or do you only worship the old stuff?</b><br />
Me personally, I mostly listen to the old stuff. Though there are younger bands that I get turned on to, like Orchid. I love those guys. Good stuff. Jason is way more in touch with the newer bands than I am.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8nmJzQT98P8/TdGNSchXWNI/AAAAAAAAA8o/SHIIFslfdJs/s1600/3cds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8nmJzQT98P8/TdGNSchXWNI/AAAAAAAAA8o/SHIIFslfdJs/s640/3cds.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What do you think about the new bands which sound like they’re lost in time – Ghost, The Devil’s Blood, Blood Ceremony or Jex Thoth? Aren’t they doing the same thing as The Gates of Slumber, but that you’ve been doing for more than ten years now?</b><br />
Nah man, I don’t think we have too much in common with any of those bands, really. That’s all a bunch of occult stuff. We don’t do that. I mean people might mistake “The Castle of The Devil” for some satanic shit, but it’s a Solomon Kane story! Musically they are all on a different and more retro bend than we are, for them it’s more a thing to be vintage sounding I think. We don’t get hung up on that vintage gear stuff. We just play doom metal, you know?<br />
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<b>Your cover arts are stylish. Could you tell me more about the artists you have been working with?</b><br />
The covers for “Conqueror” and “Hymns of Blood and Thunder” were both done by Vebjorn Strommen. We licensed “Conqueror” from him and he did “...Blood and Thunder” for us as a commission. Very cool guy and easy to work with. Arik Roper did the cover for “The Wretch”. It was a licensed piece. I’ve never spoken with Arik, but his art is fucking amazing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A38O6mYTlFA/TdGNUGYlgmI/AAAAAAAAA8s/t3QUCdXyBsc/s1600/gos2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A38O6mYTlFA/TdGNUGYlgmI/AAAAAAAAA8s/t3QUCdXyBsc/s640/gos2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Is it hard to get the right live sound when you’re a trio? Would the band gain anything if you hired a second guitarist?</b><br />
No, I don’t think so. Jason is a very heavy bassist so there is no loss of anything live. And besides I think two guitars muddy the sound very easily. It also restricts what the bassist can do unless both guitars are in unison. There are few doom bands that sound better with two guitars, I think. Black Sabbath had only one...<br />
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<b>You played the Roadburn 2011 festival. Is it the right place for a band like The Gates of Slumber? Did you play the new songs?</b><br />
Roadburn was great! I think the gig went amazingly well. The crowd was very into it and the set was mostly new songs! I think it’s one of the top 5 gigs we’ve done for sure.</div>Travis Bicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101777142693557473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748506358959692995.post-44649494351812760332011-04-28T08:02:00.000+02:002011-04-28T08:02:29.396+02:00INDIAN – Guilty Of Being Sludge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j-3NSFJmTqU/TbkBcsysatI/AAAAAAAAA8A/RFjLBQntLl0/s1600/Indian_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j-3NSFJmTqU/TbkBcsysatI/AAAAAAAAA8A/RFjLBQntLl0/s320/Indian_800.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Chicago-based sludge metal mongers Indian took the sub-genre to its limits of raw heaviness and sheer brutality with their fourth studio record “Guiltless”, which was released through Relapse in April of 2011. Devastating and hammering riffage, extreme vocal abuse and suffocating tempos are what Indian is about. The weak don’t come out of there alive. Will Lindsay, on duty as a guitarist and vocalist, and earlier involved in the Wolves in the Throne Room and Nachtmystium, told We Wither about his bands and other extremely important issues.<br />
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I have to tell you „Guiltless” is a ruthless, merciless, radical album. You don’t play blast beats or participate in the metal-racing contest but still it’s very extreme. Is it your heaviest album so far?</b><br />
I feel that it is, but various people will no doubt have various opinions. A lot of people into Indian still swear by “The Unquiet Sky” as the heaviest.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cILwzrnq1Q0/TbkBeR6pSlI/AAAAAAAAA8E/Lt0oJGGEDnE/s1600/Ketsios900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="376" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cILwzrnq1Q0/TbkBeR6pSlI/AAAAAAAAA8E/Lt0oJGGEDnE/s640/Ketsios900.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>How do you get such a heavy sound? Is it only a matter of production?</b><br />
Production certainly plays a role in the heavy sound. The equipment that we use is very crucial to the heavy sound, as well. The guitars were Les Pauls, a Monson Doomsayer and a Lakland bass. The amps were Sunn Model Ts, a Marshall JCM 800 2203 and an Acoustic 370. The cabinets and drums were all Emperors. Sanford's expertise and knowledge as an engineer was very important, as well.<br />
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<b>Does the album have a concept in terms of the lyrics? Could you point out the most important things you sing about on “Guiltless”?</b><br />
There is a concept through the album but Dylan wrote almost all of the lyrics and I wouldn't feel comfortable commenting on what he wrote. The lyrics that I wrote tie into the concept of being guiltless and are about a personal experience in my not-too-distant past. I'm afraid it is something I can't really get into, though, as I wouldn't want to name or embarrass the people involved in the aforementioned experience.<br />
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<b>Does your band name mean that you identify with the native Americans in the way you feel like rejects and misfits, or is that explanation a little bit too obvious and naive?</b><br />
The band started before I was a member and I never have asked why they chose that name. I would imagine that it is something other than the idea that you mentioned, though.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1bMCp2l5P-4/TbkBgSEZ1FI/AAAAAAAAA8I/-qdC-6wx0Ew/s1600/will3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1bMCp2l5P-4/TbkBgSEZ1FI/AAAAAAAAA8I/-qdC-6wx0Ew/s640/will3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Is there a distinct line between doom and sludge in modern metal? What would you rather call Indian?</b><br />
I don't really have an opinion. However, a lot of other people seem to. I personally don't have a preference in which term people use to describe us. Whatever is going to help them make sense of what we're doing or whatever is going to give them a comfortable reference point is on them.<br />
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<b>You have been recording with Sanford Parker, who has produced lots of awesome albums is the last couple of years. What is the best thing about working with him?</b><br />
Sanford is a good friend of ours. There are a lot of great things about working with him. He's actively involved in the “scene” or “genre” or whatever beyond his role as an engineer. He has a lot of good ideas and he is not afraid to voice them. He also has a high level of tolerance for people and their idiosyncrasies, which is a key and often overlooked element of being an engineer.<br />
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<b>How close is Indian with the hardcore/punk Chicago scene?</b><br />
I've only been living out here since July and have not really gotten involved in the local punk/hardcore scene. I haven't really been involved in the local punk/hardcore scene since I lived in Eugene, OR, honestly. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AdEP-d50vEw/TbkBmAF7gzI/AAAAAAAAA8U/k-8Y-zVgSZA/s1600/guiltless_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AdEP-d50vEw/TbkBmAF7gzI/AAAAAAAAA8U/k-8Y-zVgSZA/s400/guiltless_800.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>I really like your artwork. I generally love bands that stick to certain aesthetics and develop it from album to album. Could you tell me about the graphic artists you have worked with?</b><br />
The only artist we have worked with for our album-related stuff has been Scott Fricke. He is a tattooist here in Chicago and a good friend of the band. Scott has been very good at making visual representations of our music and ideas. He actually spent some time at the studio with us to get his ideas for what to do with the artwork for “Guiltless”.<br />
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<b>You seem to love tattoos and all of the Indian covers look like perfect ideas for a tattoo. Did you get any of them inked yet?</b><br />
I have the pentagram that we use for our logo on my shoulder. Everyone in the band with the exception of Sean has the pentagram. I don't know that I would get album-specific tattoos, but I do love Scott's style and look forward to having him tattoo me in the future.<br />
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<b>Are any of your tattoos related to the music or bands in general?</b><br />
I have four Black Flag tattoos. I also have the word “Outlaw” tattooed on my wrist, which has a lot of meanings. One of which is a nod to Waylon Jennings. I also have a portrait of Hank Williams, Sr. tattooed on me.<br />
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<b>What made you go vegan? Did you ever care about bands such as Day of Suffering or Earth Crisis, which try to talk about social problems?</b><br />
I became a vegan in 1997 for ethical reasons. It was just something that I didn't want to take part in anymore. I grew up hunting and fishing and had never felt entirely comfortable with it, which also contributed, albeit in a more latent fashion. I still have the same ethical feelings but it isn't something I really go flaunting about and I certainly have no intention of using the band as a platform for that or any other ideology.<br />
I never cared for the bands you mentioned. Bands that were talking about social problems and such that I was into were more along the lines of Born Against, Man is the Bastard, Noothgrush and the like. All of which are still bands I still love.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nfD4b5Aou-I/TbkBh_xhoII/AAAAAAAAA8M/XXKsDOGd3TU/s1600/indian3cds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nfD4b5Aou-I/TbkBh_xhoII/AAAAAAAAA8M/XXKsDOGd3TU/s640/indian3cds.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Why did Middian only manage to complete one album “Age Eternal” in 2007? Was Mike Scheidt too busy with Yob to keep Middian going?</b><br />
I was actually talking to my friend that booked that band last week about things. The band seemed kind of cursed from the start. There were always some underlying personal tensions that really flared up when our lawsuit happened and it is ultimately what killed the band. I think the band not being universally accepted in Yob's place is what also led Mike to reform Yob. Our last tour, half of our set was Yob songs. That really kind of put the writing on the wall. That and the fact that the law suit really kind of pulled us apart. It was too bad. I really miss playing with both Mike and Scott.<br />
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<b>You were involved with the 2009 Wolves in the Throne Room album “Black Cascade”. Was it just an episode for you? Why did you leave the band so quickly?</b><br />
I was also on the “Malevolent Grain” EP and the “Live at Roadburn 2008”. I played with them for a few years and did not join the band with the intention of it being solely an episode. My leaving the band is rather complicated to explain without having to tell some details that are really not to be shared publicly. The best I can do is state that the Weavers and I have different ways of looking at a lot of things. We did try to make it work and it didn't. Unfortunately, I don't think any of us feel very good about how everything ended up, but we did the best that we could. We're still friends and keep in touch and see each other when we're in town, which I am very happy about.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0zCUnEYNqvw/TbkBjiAFfAI/AAAAAAAAA8Q/9hO2EQyDkbs/s1600/indlive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0zCUnEYNqvw/TbkBjiAFfAI/AAAAAAAAA8Q/9hO2EQyDkbs/s640/indlive.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Wolves in the Throne Room is seen as a pretty specific band, with its own sound and atmosphere. Did you feel it was something special to be a part of it?</b><br />
I never really thought of it in terms like that. I enjoyed playing with them and I particularly enjoyed all of the travel we did together. One of the points of contention between us is that I never cared for the visual aesthetics that the band had or the talk about spirituality/magic/etc., which is very important to Nathan and Aaron as well as a lot of people that like the band. It was a good experience and I'm happy that I did it. Ultimately, Aaron and Nathan are happier not having a dissenting opinion and I'm happier playing with people that I have more in common with. I must add that I am also happy to not be involved in the black metal scene. It's not a scene I was ever particularly interested in as a fan or musician, with a few exceptions.<br />
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<b>You were also part of Nachtmystium during sessions for the 2010 album “Addicts: Black Meddle Pt. II”. That material is really original and different to anything else. Was the recording inspiring too?</b><br />
I don't know that I would use the word “inspiring”. I had a lot of fun making that record. Usually, I don't enjoy the recording process, although I am certainly happy to have the finished product. I think part of what was so enjoyable about making that record is that I wasn't emotionally involved as I was never really a member of the band or anything. It ended up being a lot more casual than any other recording session I've done, which I think definitely contributed to the final product. Blake is extremely open to other people's suggestions and ideas as well.</div>Travis Bicklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11101777142693557473noreply@blogger.com1