Interview: LOSS

I’m not a fan of long, drawn out intros to interviews, so I’ll just say this: Despond, the debut full length from Nashville Tennessee’s Loss, is the best doom album of 2011. I spoke with bassist John Anderson and guitarist Tim Lewis via e-mail about this masterpiece of monolithic misery, which is available now from our friends at Profound Lore.

THKD: First of all, why doom? What is it about the genre that you find inspiring? What is it about doom that you identify with on a personal or even a spiritual level? What does doom mean to you?

John Anderson: For us, I believe we were all drawn to the scale and the range of Doom, and we’re grateful to those who have identified so well with what we’ve done so far, because that validates our take on the style, which is somewhat unconventional. For every variety of doom that’s out there now, there is another way of looking at what it can mean to people. That’s an inspiration in itself, because it means many different things to us. Doom is not just heavy, it’s burdensome. That burden, in turn, reflects our lyrical content, which takes something that might have been just angry or dark and pushes it over to bleak and mournful, by personalizing it. Outside of doom, though, such emotion is represented more commonly by quiet, subtle music – and while that is part of what we do, we don’t feel that consistent subtlety would be realistic. Feelings like these are huge, present, and terrible, even as they crawl.

THKD: Nashville, Tennessee isn’t the first place most people think of when they think metal. How (if at all) have your surroundings helped or hindered Loss’ music? Do you receive much local support?

JA: Nashville isn’t the place that most people assume it would be. From the outside, thanks to the media and the industry here, we’re thought of as a country music bastion filled with rednecks and shoeless yokels. Those people are here, for sure, but every town has their share. They just have different accents. What’s not really said of Nashville is that we also have our share of everything else, including just about any style you might like – just on a smaller scale. People think it’s a bigger city than it is, and that’s where the frustration kicks in on both sides. Everybody plays something, but there’s a lot of apathy. I’m sure that sense of apathy has driven us as a band to some degree, and this can certainly be a depressing pace to live at times. We do have local support, though. I suppose some of the people here, at least, share our outlook.

THKD: Your debut album, Despond was just released by Profound Lore. What were the circumstances surrounding its creation? What frame of mind were you in while creating these songs?

JA: There were as many frames of mind in the writing process as there are changes within the course of each song, really. The process was long and very much tied to the emotional states that each of us went through – good and bad, and often at different times than the other members, which created a rough terrain for getting things done. It also created a lot of challenges for us as artists, though, and I think both the album and band are stronger because of all of the struggling. Had this album been completed and released a few years ago – as it could very well have been — it would not be the complete thought or the manifestation of four minds that it is today. Growth can be painful, and growth within the context of such emotionally raw music even more so, but I will always be glad that we pushed through and didn’t settle on anything less than what is on that disc right now.

THKD: How would you describe your writing process for Loss? Is creating this music a sort of catharsis for you? A way of coping, perhaps?

Tim Lewis: The writing process always seems to begin with a skeletal idea that seems to make the rounds to each member and each one of us will write, scratch, and re-write until we feel the song is full bodied. Sounds like we’re brewing beer huh? Seriously though, this is what took so long in the creation of Despond. We scrapped complete songs and various movements in songs that are on the record until it was to our liking. If we didn’t feel it was right, we started over. Try to imagine the tension in the room while giving the axe to a part either one of us or all of us created and starting from scratch. It wasn’t a fun place to be if you were an outsider. If you are one us, you get over it and realize this is for the greater good. This band is absolutely our therapy, so it is most definitely a coping agent for each of us. When we listen to a completed song and it makes the hairs on our arms stand up, (as an outsider looking in) we know we have written something special that was worth all the effort.

THKD: Tell us a little about the recording sessions for Despond. How would you describe your experiences while committing these songs to tape?

JA: There is definitely a ritualistic aspect to capturing what we do. Aside from all of the technical concerns in getting the sounds right, we had to leave a lot of things off the tape – metaphorically speaking – in order to capture what is important: The real essence of the song, as it will be preserved forever. To meet us on the street, or even in the hallway of a studio, you wouldn’t guess that we make the kind of music that we make. People cannot live the way our music is at all times. They wouldn’t survive it. So, there is a place each of us has to go when the tape begins to roll, or the whole thing simply won’t work. And if you over-think it, it won’t work. It has to be natural. You have to go those places described in the songs, and swim in those waters again, so to speak. Not lose yourself, but gain yourself, I would say.

THKD: Themes of death and suicide are prevalent in Despond’s lyrics. Are your lyrics based on personal experiences? Are themes of life and death an integral part of doom metal?

TL: This record was composed and finally conveyed to tape through 100% personal empiricism. The misfortunes and tragedies we experienced trying to complete this record were overwhelming in many cases. Adversity definitely presented guidance throughout the process until we reached its finality. As far as themes, life and death are a very important part of all art forms. The doom genre goes without saying. The theme of most doom falls under death, disease, shortcomings, the weather, dark contemplation, grandiose philosophy and so on. All the aforementioned themes still ultimately are categorized under life or death. So our answer to your “theme” question after all this is, “yes”.

THKD: Obviously, Despond is a very dark, heavy, oppressive/depressive album. Is there any hope at all to be found within its confines? Any light at the end of the tunnel? Why or why not?

TL: It is quite a depressing record to us. As far as hope is concerned, it was not written with hope being the champion in the end. Beautiful moments are quite present in movements throughout the record, only to have it crushed when the waves of (musical) depression move in. A calm before the storm, so to speak. Ultimately, this is a record to be experienced by the individual listener and to be decided by them what they find within.

THKD: In listening to Loss one can hear doom, but also traces of death metal, black metal and even noise/ambient. What/who are your biggest musical inspirations, and how do they play into the music you create with Loss?

TL: I think every artist or band we have ever heard (great or horrible) has played some kind of inadvertent influence upon our creative style. I think it’s that way with most artists, whether they care to admit it or not. Even something horrible will steer you to NOT PLAY A CERTAIN STYLE and in that, there is influence.

THKD: Brett Campbell of Pallbearer appears on the song “Silent and Completely Overcome”. What lead you collaborate with him?

JA: Mike (Meacham, vocalist/guitarist) actually came up with this idea while working out how the vocals would be placed. He heard a clean voice in his head for that part, but not his own, and since he’d been very impressed with Pallbearer’s demo already, he sent the song to Brett to lay a vocal track over it, without telling the rest of us. He was afraid we’d all shoot down the idea of having any sort of guest vocalist, and he was probably right. But, when we heard the demo, we were all beside ourselves with how perfect it was. Even the rough demo was amazing. It was sealed from that point, and we all became huge fans of Pallbearer, needless to say.

THKD: Let’s talk a little about Richard Friend’s artwork for the album. How did you come to collaborate with him? Was the artwork created specifically for the album or were these already existing pieces? What does his artwork add to the total experience of Despond?

JA: I stumbled across Richard’s artwork while searching through the DeviantArt website for possibilities. It was actually the piece we used for the back cover of the CD that caught my attention, as it was part of a larger series that he called his “Black Drawings.” Ironically, when we contacted him about those pieces, to see if he might be interested in doing some more work like that for us, he was surprised. Apparently, nobody else really talked about that particular series, so he figured nobody really “got” what he was going for. We all loved them, though, so we took a series of concepts that Mike and I had created, based around the lyrics for the songs, and sent them over. Needless to say, the results were amazing. Not only did he create some amazing art, but he was an incredibly cool guy to work with. He went above and beyond to make those pieces turn out as we had envisioned them. Given that they are all custom pieces, save for the back cover that already existed, they are worth more to the album experience than any sentence I can come up with here. We can’t say enough nice things about Richard.

THKD: Will you be doing any touring or playing any shows in support of Despond? How would you describe the Loss live experience to someone who hasn’t had the opportunity to see you play live?

JA: It’s hard to objectively describe what we’re like on stage. I’d love to know what it’s like to stand in the audience and not know the material, or to know the songs as anyone but the four of us would, but that’s not possible. I’ll let the reviews speak on that one. We do have some shows planned for the rest of the year — like the Rites of Darkness III festival in Texas, more shows in Nashville, and a few other shows in cities around the country that have not yet been finalized – but we stick with particular appearances rather than full tours. If any promoters are looking to book us, we can be reached at lossdoom (at) gmail (dot) com.

THKD: What are you currently listening to? Do you have any recommendations for THKD readers? What are some recordings you consider essential?

TL: Over the past few days I have been listening to 40 Watt Sun, Necros Christos, Beherit (as always), Lycus, Anhedonist, Ealdath, Pallbearer, Diocletian, and at the moment of this interview, Witchchrist.

THKD: Are there any final thoughts you’d like to add?

We’d like to thank everyone who has written a review of the album so far. They have all been great, and it’s good to know that people get what we’re doing.
Fatum Vestri Vita…Doom Your Life.

Loss
http://lossdoom.com
http://facebook.com/lossdoom

Jun 4 2011

Interview: AOSOTH

If you need proof that black metal isn’t dead in 2011, look no further than Aosoth’s III. The French trio have released a queasy, droning, suffocating beast of an album that easily tops their already impressive body of work. I spoke with guitarist BST via e-mail to gain some insight into one of the year’s best black metal albums.

THKD: III is much heavier than prior Aosoth albums. Was this intentional or merely a natural part of the band’s evolution?

B.S.T. : It does sound heavier and I’m guessing there are several reasons for that : the tuning we used is lower, which gives this really muddy effect, I thought it would be interesting to experiment in that area in a black metal context. Also the gear we used (amplifiers and instruments) and the recording process was different, as we were aiming for a very organic sound. But I’d say the main reason for this heavier aspect is that we have opened our compositions to new influences, outside of black metal, some bands like Amenra for example…

THKD: When and where was III recorded? What were the circumstances surrounding the conception of the new album? What were you looking to achieve?

B.S.T. : Like the two previous full length, it was recorded at the Bst Studios. Under the influence of alcohol, drugs, and depression. I consider that we did achieve something, and that’s producing something nasty, oppressing, difficult to listen to, but a true experience in darkness and death through art.

THKD: My review copy of III does not include lyrics. Can you discuss what sorts of lyrical themes are being explored on the new album?

B.S.T. : Mkm’s lyrics on this album were pretty introspective and could be compared to his work on Antaeus’s “Blood libels”. They do appear on the CD and the LP, so people can make their own interpretation .

THKD: There is an eerie, droning quality to parts of III that is quite unique when compared to most modern black metal. How was this achieved and was it intentional? Are you at all influenced by drone music?

B.S.T. : I wouldn’t say we are, but we did use the talents of an industrial/ambient artist named HostiS for all the interludes and some samples within the songs, which may give that effect.

THKD: Is Aosoth a Satanic band? Is black metal an inherently Satanic form of music? What does Satan mean to you on a personal/spiritual level?

B.S.T. : Aosoth is satanic, and yes black metal is by definition satanic as well. All three members have their own conception of what Satan represents, and we do not share or even talk about it that much. Even though we are different individuals, we do complete each other in more than one way, and that’s what unites us. As far as I’m concerned, I see Satan, and the whole notion of evil, as something linked to human interpretation. I am a believer, but I therefore deny the idea of an absolute form of good and evil. I do believe in higher powers amongst us, and above us. However each person sees a demon or an angel into them according to what his own soul contains. Like said earlier, the two other people involved in Aosoth most certainly have a different perspective on that issue.

THKD: The name Aosoth comes from The Order of Nine Angles. Can you elaborate on the significance of the name and what importance it holds for you personally?

B.S.T. : The link between this band and the O.N.A. is our singer. I am in no position to speak of it. From the readings that were made available to me, though, I must say I felt a connection to quite a few principles of their philosophy.

THKD: Aosoth works as a trio. Your new/third album is called simply III. Does the number three hold any special significance for Aosoth or is this merely coincidental?

B.S.T. : It just happened to be the time when we decided to include a third member. Was is a mere coincidence? I wouldn’t know. It probably was meant to be, and probably has a meaning.

THKD: What does each member of Aosoth bring to the band? Would you ever consider adding more members?

B.S.T. : The way the band works is quite simple. Mkm is in charge of the lyrics, the visual aspect, the ideology. He is linked to the band as he is the image of the band, the spokesman. I write all the music, and produce the albums, I also recruit the mercenaries who play with us on stage. Inr, our newest member has been involved in the arrangements of the songs. Although his role seems lesser than ours, he has been involved in the project for a long time now, first as a session musician, and his dedication did inject a lot of new blood into Aosoth. If we do find the right person, I’m guessing we might hire a full time drummer some day, but they are quite hard to come by. And we’ll have a second guitar player for concerts, but that person will remain a session member.

THKD: How would you compare your current work with Aosoth to your past with Antaeus? Are the two bands opposite sides of the same coin?

B.S.T. : I will answer for Mkm from what I know of that matter. Aosoth has a very different musical approach. As far as the ideology goes their is a certain link between the too, but saying they are opposite sides to the same coin is stretching it, in my opinion.

THKD: France seems to have a very strong and diverse black metal scene. What is it about life there that is conducive to this music? Are you in any way influenced/inspired by your surroundings?

B.S.T. : This country is grey, bitter, and our cultural heritage is falling apart. We have lost faith in our nation and feel betrayed. There is no unity in our community. I’m guessing that would be a cause…

THKD: What are your thoughts on the current state of French black metal? Who do you consider to be your peers? Are there any other French BM hordes we should be listening to?

B.S.T. : I have a lot of respect for bands such as Hell Militia, Vorkreist, Blacklodge, DSO (obviously), Spektr, Ritualization, Temple of Baal, Haemoth… And a few others… Those bands are those I consider to be my peers and I would advise you to listen to.

THKD: Will you be playing live in support of III? What would the ultimate live Aosoth experience entail?

B.S.T. : We will play shows according to what we are offered. A live performance is not something we need or seek. Releasing albums is satisfactory enough to us.

THKD: Are you or any of the other members of Aosoth currently involved in other bands/projects that we should be aware of? What can you tell us about them?

B.S.T. : Mkm is still in Antaeus, the band is still a bit active as they are to play a couple shows. Can’t really say if a new album is meant to happen or not, not my place to say anyway… Inr plays in VI, which is supposed to release its first full length by the end of the year I guess, he also will be appearing as a session live bass player in Antaeus. I play in The Order of Apollyon, black death metal band which released its first album “The Flesh” on Listenable records last year. I also will be joining Antaeus as a session guitar player for the few shows to come.

THKD: Are there any final thoughts you’d like to add?

B.S.T. : Thanks for the interview. 616

http://agoniarecords.com/

May 15 2011

Interview: FIENDS AT FEAST

California-based quintet Fiends at Feast came out of nowhere and impressed the hell out of me with their debut EP, Shadows of Extinction (see review). It remains one of the best metal releases I’ve heard so far in 2011 and the band’s attention to craftsmanship and willingness to work hard to accomplish their goals make them a band to watch. I spoke with vocalist/lyricist Loki about the making of Shadows of Extinction and Fiends at Feast’s plans for black/death metal domination.

THKD: For our readers who may not be familiar, can you give us a little background on how Fiends at Feast got started?

Loki: Fiends started sometime in the spring/summer of 2008 when David and Sammer met and started jamming some cover songs, then not long after that they met with Nathan and the original drummer (a girl who got replaced by impalor few months after). I was in another band, but I got an offer to audition for the band and I got asked to do vocals. From there Fiends have played some good shows and others not so good, but always with big visions of getting noticed locally and nationally.

THKD: Fiends at Feast’s music strikes a good balance between black and death metal styles. Was this intentional or just a natural part of the band’s evolution?

Loki: I think it comes naturally to us, we have diverse taste in music and what we do is just use some of the influences. We do try to keep the old school death metal, but I think black metal is a huge influence on us (especially for me) and what you hear on our EP is the result of everyone’s creativity and obsession with music.

THKD: You recently released your debut EP, Shadows of Extinction. What were you looking to accomplish with this release and are you pleased with the results?

Loki: We are pleased with the results, definitely after having some experiences with other engineers I think this is so far the best. What we are trying to accomplish with this recording, I guess, just like a lot of bands, is to get signed to a record label and expose what we do and enjoy doing. Touring is one of Fiends’ goals as well.

THKD: Let’s talk a little about your lyrics. What are some of the themes you’re singing about on Shadows of Extinction? What inspires you to come up with lyrics? Are the lyrics a collaborative effort?

Loki: I come up with lyrics at very random hours, sometimes when I’m waking up (hahaha). My inspiration comes from people forcing others to believe their crap. I have a very low tolerance for stupidity, ignorance and poor behavior, I think you can say a bit of a sociopath. Look around and you’ll know what I mean, especially the ones who copy other bands to make a name for themselves and that is just one example. I also like to use metaphors to describe certain things which some people don’t get and I don’t care if they do or not.

THKD: What is your personal favorite song on Shadows of Extinction and why?

Loki: I think “pariah” is one of my favorite ones I guess because it has a piece of my life in it. It has the obsession with death, depression, hate, obscurity and hate for organized religion, although “scars in my soul” has a big attachment as well.

THKD: What can you tell us about your vocal technique? How do you prepare yourself to record vocals or perform in a live setting?

Loki: I don’t like to think I use any special technique, all I do is try to sing from the stomach rather than with the throat. My inspiration started in the late 80′s but it wasn’t ’till I heard Chris Barnes that I said to myself “fuck I wanna do that shit like him” and make use of the vocals as another instrument. At this moment my inspiration has been black metal way more than any death metal singer and as always I try not to copy anyone but learn from them and do my own thing. I do warm up for the recording but when performing live I just let my demons take over (haha).

THKD: How were the songs for Shadows of Extinction written? Do you work on songs as a group?

Loki: All songs were and are written as a group (band), most of the time Sammer and David work on riffs in their spare time, then we all work with whatever they have and everyone gets involved to shape the songs.

THKD: The EP cover is very striking. What can you tell us about the artwork and how does it tie in with your music?

Loki: We had a hard time coming up with the artwork and at the end we came up with the idea of having a drawing of a landscape that represented the area where we live and gave some feeling of obscurity with the raven and the dead corpse in the fox hole. It doesn’t have as much of a connection to the lyrics as we were hoping for but, I guess you can link it with the endless obsession with death in the lyrics.

THKD: Fiends at Feast hails from Santa Cruz, CA. What is the metal scene like there? Do you get much local support?

Loki: The metal scene is not so great but I guess it is just like any other place, and to be expected when you play this kind of music in an area where hip-hop, reggae and other genres are more predominant. We do appreciate the support from the handful of metal maniacs that come to our shows. As I say many times on stage “you fucking maniacs”.

THKD: How does your environment/surroundings inspire Fiends at Feast? What is it about California that inspires dark and heavy music?

Loki: I don’t think any climate gets us inspired, but we do get some sort of motivation when we see bands playing the same old shit that other bands have done or playing some commercial sound, a thing that Fiends is always trying to stay away from. We are trying to write a new blueprint with our style and our own way.

THKD: You recently played a record release show for Shadows of Extinction. How did it go? Do you enjoy playing live?

Loki: We had a good time and we would like to think that it was a success. We had people who came from San Francisco, Hayward, San Jose, Salinas, Sacramento and Alameda and it seemed like everyone got involved with our performance. I do enjoy performing live most of the time, sometimes I don’t feel the energy I need to get in my zone although a lot of the times I wish to bite the head off.

THKD: What is the best way for fans to get a hold of Shadows of Extinction?

Loki: Our merchandise can be purchased at our gigs for now, we are currently working on setting up a Paypal account or indiemerchandise account, any suggestions? (hahaha). We have our EP in our local record store Streetlight and we hope Rasputin’s agrees to sell our EP as well.

THKD: What are you listening to right now? What bands do you find inspiring/influential as far as what you do with Fiends at Feast?

Loki: At this moment the only genre I listen to is black metal. I think it has a lot more to offer on many levels and ways to be performed compared to death metal. On my list right now are Orcustus, Impiety, Sadistic Intent, Black Witchery and Endstille. I feel influenced by this and other bands in the way I perform with Fiends but I think my twist evolves from bands like Behexen, Immolation and Shining.

THKD: What does the rest of 2011 have in store for Fiends at Feast?

Loki: We are working on new material to possibly record as soon as we are ready, but for now a tour in California/Nevada is in our minds and exposing what we have worked so hard to accomplish.

THKD: Are there any final thoughts you’d like to add?

Loki: Stay dark and away from friends.

Listen to Fiends at Feast on Bandcamp

Fiends at Feast on Facebook

Three part video interview w/ Fiends at Feast @ Metal Bay

May 1 2011

Interview: ANTEDILUVIAN

Everyone whining about the current state of death metal (and there are many) needs to shut their mouths and give Antediluvian a thorough listen. Over the course of several demos, an EP and a split w/ Nuclearhammer, this Canadian duo has concocted a sickening take on DM that is primitive and punishing w/o being self-consciously “retro” or blatantly re-hashing the sounds of 1990s Sweden and Florida. This death metal that reaches back into the primordial ooze of pre-history itself to harness an energy that is desolate, otherworldly, and above all, heavy. I contacted guitarist/vocalist HT to learn more about Antediluvian’s realm of chaos.

THKD: For those who may be unfamiliar, can you tell us a little about how Antediluvian got started?

HT: Antediluvian was started in Guelph, Ontario in 2005 by HT and MS.

THKD: Invictus Productions recently released Watcher’s Reign, a compilation of your first two demos + tracks from you split w/ Nuclearhammer. Whose idea was this release and how did it come about?

HT: If I remember correctly, Darragh and Wes of Invictus/Warfare Noise were interested in reissuing the early demo material. I think Darragh initially suggested a cassette version which is still in the works, but we all decided to do the CD first as the material was available (separately) on cassette for some time.

THKD: It seems like most metal bands don’t even bother with demos anymore before releasing an album. What prompted Antediluvian to stick with this more traditional approach?

HT: We wanted to spend some time developing our ideas for our sound and our ability to execute them accurately, before doing an album.

THKD: How has Antediluvian progressed from the first demo up to this point? How would you describe the band’s evolution thus far?

HT: With each release we have improved. The basic idea is the same but our ability to execute that idea is exponentially better on each release.

THKD: Your most recent release is the Revelations in Excrement EP. What can you tell us about this release?

HT: This is an exploration on the nature of evil. Death appears to be the ultimate end from our perspective, but really our flesh is reintegrated into matter. We are exploring the seemingly contradictory idea of forces reaching from or back into non-existence in an attempt to disrupt or affect this cyclical pattern. Musically we incorporate abstract patterns of sound in a disorienting fashion, channeled from the unconscious. By purposefully disregarding rational thought/discretion we reflect from beyond the urges of substance and flesh. The MLP discusses in certain terms this contradictory possibility of existence beyond physical matter, and how this is naturally perceived as evil.

THKD: When will Antediluvian unleash a full length? What can listeners expect from your debut album?

HT: We plan to record our full length in the summer of 2011. Thematically it will mock the right/rational morality we ascribe to existence in attempt to make sense of the absurd contradictions of nature. We will continue to expose the Bible and related cornerstones of western thought as the starting point of the false ideals of the current system.

THKD: What sorts of lyrical themes are you dealing with in Antediluvian? Many of the songs seem to deal w/ chaos and prehistory…

HT: Our songs do deal with chaos and prehistory, as well as the exploration of the unconsciousness as described above in my previous answers. Prehistory really implies times before oral or written records and perhaps before human consciousness existed. I find it very interesting to imagine if before human consciousness, the social veil/front/filter we use to veil the self-devouring nature of existence was absent. Living creatures ate each other and procreated without some kind of strange moral front keeping certain instincts in check. However the paradox is that humans now overrun the planet entirely, and perhaps this moral filter is exactly what allowed us to truly conquer matter to an extent that we’ve become the absolute alpha predator and also our own worst enemy.

Thematically we are dealing with how in our current culture the right/rational/ordered side of things attempts to soften or hide the actual terror and constant sacrifice of the cycle of sustenance. Comparing early mythology with pre-historic (pre written word) existence gives an interesting perspective on how humans have always been trying to come to terms with the unknown and the mysteries of the ouroboric cycle of life feeding on life. There has always been a rebellious intuition that guides this questioner to examine life for what it is, and to question the veil of order over chaos and that is what is driving our explorations.

THKD: Antediluvian works as a duo. What does each member bring to the table?

HT: We each play our own instruments and recently MS has been handling some songwriting duties as well. Up until this point I have written all the music but a lot of the material on the album we are preparing has been written by MS. We have always worked together on arrangements.

THKD: With that said, what do you see as the advantages and disadvantages of having only two band members? Would you ever consider expanding the lineup?

HT: The advantages with two members are that you have less chance for scheduling conflicts and can be more spontaneous with rehearsals and playing live. The disadvantage with two members is that bass lines and additional guitar layers composed for recordings cannot be performed live. We nonetheless have a very low end, heavy live sound with two members, but the recordings have some subtle harmonies that that are not present.

Having said that, we are currently rehearsing with a bassist who will also be doing backing vocals live. This will take our already devastating live performances to a new height of abhorrence. We will likely incorporate a second guitarist in the future as well.

THKD: How would you describe your songwriting approach? Do you compose as a duo or separately?

HT: We usually compose separately and arrange together. A lot of times we change/improve/add onto sections of a song spontaneously as we begin to rehearse it. I write on the guitar and MS writes on the piano which is opening us up to patterns of notes that seem quite strange, atypical, and interesting when played on guitar.

THKD: Is the raw, chaotic nature of your recordings a reaction against the overproduced abomination that is most modern death/black metal?

HT: It’s less about being close minded to whatever the specific trend of the moment is and more about being open to that beyond consciousness and matter. Time/budget for specific recordings is really the only thing that has ever restricted us and perhaps some of the rawness you mention is due to such restrictions though it’s also a part of the destructive (un)nature of what we channel.

THKD: Antediluvian does not use social media such as myspace/facebook/etc to promote itself. Why do you prefer not to self promote in this way?

HT: Myspace/facebook to me seem to be a really contemporary fad, fads come and go, and I think that being really with the times is a good way to get out of date really quickly. Some kind of online resource can be very useful for people interested in the band but I don’t think these specific sites are necessary. Just a standard website with the relevant info seems appropriate to me.

THKD: The Canadian metal scene seems to be extremely strong at the moment. What characteristics make Canadian metal stand out?

HT: Part of what makes it stand out are bands that don’t sound alike; creativity seems to flow untainted and unbridled. The idea of bands from the same country, but living thousands of miles apart is really not hurting this factor. It cuts out the usual inbreeding that creates clone after clone in some of the more tight packed areas of the world.

THKD: What are your plans for Antediluvian for the rest of 2011? Will there be any more new material aside from the EP?

HT: We are recording the debut in the summer for Invictus Productions and Profound Lore Records. We have two split releases that will probably be released before the album is complete, One is a 12 inch split with Adversarial (3 songs each on NWN! productions) and the other is a 7 inch split with Witchrist (1 song each on Nuclear Winter Records). All that material is recorded already. Also our third demo “Under Wing of Asael” will be out on 12 inch late spring on Parasitic Records. We also plan to play at least one live set this year.

Apr 27 2011

Interview: IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT

I get a lot of e-mails from bands asking me to check out their music. Roughly ninety-nine percent of them fail to grab my attention. This was not the case when Ilya, vocalist/guitarist for NYC black metal quartet Imperial Triumphant contacted me with a link for their unabashedly over-the-top and defiantly NSFW video for “Stormgod” (see above) from their latest EP Obeisance. Impressed with their classically-influenced take on icy, melodic black metal excellence, I downloaded the EP and was subsequently blown away. I sent Ilya a barrage of questions via e-mail, he and bassist Naargryl were gracious enough to respond, resulting the following interrogation…

THKD: For THKD readers who might not be familiar, can you tell us a little about how Imperial Triumphant got started?

ILYA: Imperial Triumphant was forged in the year 2005 AD. I’ve assembled what I believe to be the most competent black metal musicians in New York. Originally just guitar, bass and drums eventually we were joined by Amarok on violoncello. We’ve played shows at many venues in our home of the empiric New York City and are building up a devoted legion of followers.

THKD: You refer to your style as “baroque black metal” can you elaborate on this?

NAARGRYL: We’re very attracted to the atmosphere of Baroque music – there’s an element of that period’s composition style that’s very soulless, regal and detached. We derive a lot of inspiration from this theoretically, not so much practically. Not many of our songs sound exactly like a Baroque chamber group could play them, for example. But the contrapuntal nature of Baroque harmony and the linear song form greatly influence the way we write.

THKD: When we first started exchanging e-mails, you told me that all the members of Imperial Triumphant are classically trained. Can you tell us about your training? How does it inform your approach to playing black metal?

I: We say we’re classically trained because we’ve studied music and are well versed in tonal and post tonal theory. Some of us are attending various schools of music such as UVM, NYU and the California Institute of the Arts. This training allows us to look at black metal and its composition from a more advanced standpoint than that of our contemporaries.

THKD: Are there any specific baroque/classical composer you admire? If so, how does their music influence Imperial Triumphant?

N: Most of my favorite classical music comes from the modern/contemporary era. The poly-stylistic works of Alfred Schnittke inspire me the most, because he’ll take a very tame baroque theme and twist it into something completely dissonant and sinister. Others whom I highly admire are Shostakovich, Bartók, Penderecki, and Schoenberg. Their music comes through our compositions in different ways, either subtly in the form of atmosphere or directly in the form of a quoted passage.

I: I prefer mostly the romantic and baroque era composers like Vivaldi, Purcell, Tchaikovsky and Holst. Our song “Torches of Nero” is an interpretative cover of Chopin’s Funeral March and one section in “Raiders” is a direct quotation from Mozart’s Lacrimosa. So as you can see, we incorporate a lot of classical themes and motives into our style of black metal.

THKD: Would Imperial Triumphant ever be interested in playing with a full orchestra, or has that style of metal been done to death by the overblown likes of Dimmu, Cradle of Filth, etc?

I: I’ve actually written multiple arrangements for full orchestra that accompanied a black metal band. It’s definitely not something that has been used to its full potential because bands like Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth use it in a very boring commercial way. Also I’m pretty sure they don’t even write the orchestra parts themselves. Not many composers look at arranging for metal music pieces with knowledge of the style so it ends up sounding weak and shitty (i.e. Metallica’s S&M). I would like to see a black metal band play accompanied by a John Zorn style piece. That would be grim.

THKD: Tell us about the circumstances surrounding the creation and recording of Imperial Triumphant’s latest EP, Obeisance. How does this EP compare to your previous works? Are you pleased with the results?

N: The first phase of the recording began in the winter of 2009, when Alexander and I entered Colin Marston’s Menegroth studios in Queens, NY to record the drum and bass tracks. Colin was phenomenal to work with, and instantly knew what sound we were going for. We laid our tracks over two days.

I: Our EP ‘Obeisance’ is a compilation of songs written, scrutinized and then rewritten over the last 3 years. The sessions were entirely funded by us. I was a part of the summer session that involved recording vocals, cello and guitar as well as mixing and mastering. Colin Marston of Krallice and Behold the Arctopus was the engineer and co-producer. He is really talented and managed to capture the vast ancient sound of Imperial Triumphant. We have a great sense of pride for our pride and we think it bears a standard new to US black metal.

THKD: Several of the songs on Obeisance promimently feature cello playing. What is it about the instrument that make it conducive to heavy metal?

I: I think the cello provides a timbre that combined with the crunch distortion of guitars creates a unique and complex sound.

THKD: You recently filmed and released your first video for the track “Stormgod”. What was it like filming a music video? Did you enjoy the process?

I: It was one of the coldest winters New York had seen in a while. We had only our pelts and leather to keep us warm. Regardless it was a very exciting experience running around the city in the night, shooting in various locations (some illegally). Jorge Torres-Torres is a great director and we plan to star in a movie he wrote currently titled ‘Heathen’. It’s still in preproduction but we test shooting will begin this summer.

THKD: “Stormgod” features a break with some Gregorian-sounding chanting. What inspired you to incorporate this style of singing into the song?

N: It actually arose from a Latin text that Ilya discovered a while ago. It is a prayer that Christian monks would use to protect themselves from Norse invasions, hence “Normannica” in the text. I envisioned my choral vocals in this musical scene as imitating a monk’s singing style, and thus Gregorian chant was my logical inspiration. The chant was not truly Gregorian though – it incorporated instruments, forbidden in the Church at that time. It is a mockery of holy music while simultaneously drawing from it. Amarok and I contributed the orchestration, on cello and contrabass respectively.

THKD: The song “To Novgorod” appears to be about Czarist Russian and if I’m not mistaken includes some lyrics in Russian. What inspired this song?

I: We enjoy the study of war and history. “To Novgorod” is about the Ivan the Terrible’s massacre of the city of Novgorod. I sing in Russian as I can speak a bit of it as well. We were drawn to the concept a tyrant destroying his own people and churches. I enjoy these stories of dictatorship, power abuse and domination.

THKD: You also touch on themes of war and Norse mythology on the EP. What is it about these themes that that you find inspiring?

N: Norse mythology played a large part in our development as a band. From a very young age we read the sagas of the great skalds and drew inspiration from them, both lyrically and visually. We revere the tales for their values of might and courage, and all that the deities stood for. Our ideology is developing, though. The gods have become symbols to us now, and we revere them not as sentient, intangible figures, but as tangible ideas. Recently we have found the works, literary and musical, of the Italian and Russian Futurists to be highly inspiring. A more Futurist outlook pervades the lyrics of our new compositions.

THKD: Let’s talk about the cover art for Obeisance. Is it taken from a classic painting or was it created specifically for the EP?

I: The work is called “The Martyrdom of St. Agatha,” painted by Sebastian del Piombo in 1520. The Romans sentenced her to public torture for her Christian faith. Her breasts were clamped and then removed, and then she was burned to death. We believe that this painting signifies our devotion to the war against Christianity, as well as the futility of resistance.

THKD: Imperial Triumphant has a Bandcamp page. What is the appeal of using this site to promote your music?

N: We believe that myspace is dying. Bandcamp is a much better site on which to share music. Myspace degrades the quality of the music but Bandcamp allows the songs to be played in full quality, how we intended them to be heard. It also functions as an independent online store.

I: Bandcamp is far more professional than myspace for musicians. It’s cleaner looking and has no advertisements or games or any of that bullshit. We also just launched a website: Imperialtriumphant.com. It has all of our information, media and updates.

THKD: Does Imperial Triumphant play live often? Will you be doing any touring in support of Obeisance?

I: We don’t play live often. We haven’t had the opportunity to perform as much as we’d like due to us all attending universities in different states. We have some local shows lined up this summer in July. Once we find a label to support us I can imagine a tour would look quite possible.

THKD: What does the rest of 2011 have in store for Imperial Triumphant? Are you working on any new material?

N: Imperial Triumphant are constantly writing new material. Ilya and I have worked on many compositions since we cut Obeisance, and the musical language is consistently more advanced in all of them.

I: With our album and the music video release we’ve been getting a fair amount of press. We’re shopping around for a label to combine forces with. 2011 looks to be quite prosperous for us.

THKD: Are there any final thoughts you’d like to add?

I: We shall will nothingness with the spirit of Dionysus.

N: Our music will drown out the seven trumpets of the angels in the end of days.

http://imperialtriumphant.bandcamp.com/

Apr 23 2011

Interview: ASSAULTER

At this point, my love for Australian metal is well documented. I compiled an Australian metal scene report for Invisible Oranges, and have separately interviewed Vomitor, Denouncement Pyre, Cauldron Black Ram, Stargazer and Hotel Wrecking City Traders. Now add Assaulter to that ferocious list. Their sophomore album and Metal Blade/Poison Tongue debut Boundless! is one of the year’s finest metal albums, a neck-wrecking brew of black metal, thrash and epic traditional heavy metal that will pummel your sorry ass into dust and incinerate the remains. I tracked down vocalist/guitarist S. Berserker via e-mail and the following interrogation ensued…

THKD: Boundless! is a huge step up from Salvation Like Destruction in all aspects. How would you describe the musical evolution of Assaulter between the two albums?

S. Berserker: I think it’s simply a case of us knowing exactly what we wanted to do with ‘Boundless!’, where as ‘Salvation….’ was essentially a trial by fire. It’s no secret that the debut was a right cunt of a process to record. You live and you burn. We had a few extra bucks, but were far more prepared and had worked harder on our arrangements. Musically speaking we’ve honed in our style on ‘Boundless!’ – It’s sharper, harder and tougher.

THKD: Was there anything you were looking to accomplish with Boundless! that you hadn’t achieved with your debut?

SB: In all honesty it was just to record and release an album that we felt was Assaulter to a tee. It had to be tightened and screwed in all the right spots. We wanted to record an album that was absolutely Metal most pure – Hooks, leads, aggression, speed, sprawl – All that kind of stuff. We had a little bit more coin this time ’round too, which allowed for a better sound. You can essentially hear everything on ‘Boundless!’ unlike the first LP.

THKD: What lyrical themes are being explored on Boundless? How would you describe your approach to writing lyrics?

SB: Power, propaganda, proselytism – That’s the essence of it all. I think it’s best if people just read the lyrics, but, for example, we cover the ‘flag of liberation’ in ‘Exalt the Master’, a tribute to the proselytising of the broken, godless and conquered. A nod to our modern day ‘Animal Farm’ in ‘Slave to King’, and the burning-brightest star of man in ‘Outshine’ which is essentially ‘Better to burn out than fade away’……… that’s as much as I’ll say. All the releases will feature the lyrics, so get from them what you will!

THKD: When and where was the album recorded? What was the recording experience like this time around? Did you record yourselves or with an engineer/producer?

SB: It was recorded and mixed at a small ‘establishment’ on the Central Coast called Emerald Point studios. Drums were done at Challenge studios in Sydney. All mixing was done by ourselves with two bloke from the Elanora Hotel called the ‘Bonic Bros’. Like any good recording session, it was loaded with high blood pressure, trials and fuck-ups, but, according to us, it came good in the end. We have a clearer idea as to how we will record the next album. I think when it comes to engineering, unless you REALLY know what you’re doing, it’s best to leave it up to the pros.

THKD: Describe your approach to composition. Does Assaulter write songs as a group, “jam”, etc, or is there a “primary songwriter” in the band?

SB: A lot of the material on ‘Boundless!’ was written by myself, with Hellfinder contributing to some aspects of a few songs, but embellishing all of them with his guitar themes. Jamming can fuck off. I think it would have to be the WORST way to write. I find it better to develop the crux of a song in solitude and then work out the finer details with Hellfinder.

THKD: The songs on Boundless are dark and heavy, but also have a catchy, almost epic vibe that really sets Assaulter apart. Was this approach intentional or a natural byproduct of your songwriting style?

SB: A bit of both really. I mean, you naturally put everything through the sifter so that only the strongest elements of a song remain – Yet, the riffs tend to come naturally to a certain extent. The most important element to me is the arrangement.

THKD: In listening to Boundless!, I detect some traditional heavy metal influences in addition to thrash and black metal. Is this accurate? What bands have inspired you over the years?

SB: Fucking oath. Clearly you’ve actually listened to the album. And, I’ll just add, it’s very, very fucking annoying when you see a reviewer say something like “….this is just thrash like the old Teutonic three….” or whatever. The fact is, the riffing probably has more to do with your straight up Heavy Metal than it does with ‘Thrash’ per se. That’s how I see it. Listen to the lead guitars – Oh so Heavy Metal in scale and playing. I don’t know how people can’t hear that?Inspiring bands???? Eh, too many to mention. I find a lot of bands inspiring – Whether they’re an influence is an entirely different kettle of fish.

THKD: There are tons of memorable riffs and some cool solos on Boundless!. How would you describe your approach/technique as a guitarist? What is your equipment setup?

SB: Just play, really. Play until a riff sounds right, or a bridge sits well. If you wanted to talk guitar techniques, you’d have to ask Hellfinder, as he’s the man with all the chops.

THKD: Boundless! was released in conjunction with Metal Blade Records and Primordial vocalist Alan Averill’s Poison Tongue label. How did this come about?

SB: Poison Tongue is like a sub-label to Metal Blade, more aimed towards the underground – The idea for the label came from Alan when he threw the idea towards Metal Blade. I’ve been a friend of Alan’s for many years and he approached us with his idea for the label and whether Assaulter would be interested. We naturally took up the offer, and it seems to be actually looking to bear more fruits than we’d predicted. Having said that, promotion is good, but we have no idea how it’s selling.

THKD: Assaulter features former members of Destroyer 666 and Razor of Occam. How did your experiences in other bands affect your approach to Assaulter?

SB: Not in any way at all as far as we’re concerned. A new band is a new band. Critics don’t see it that way though – I find a lot of them to be very fuckin’ lazy… “Ex-D’666 member – Well, clearly it must sound like D’666, problem is, it’s not as fast…” or shit like that. I don’t think ‘Boundless!’ actually sounds like D’666 at all.

THKD: Australia is known for producing a wealth of great blackened thrash bands like Assaulter, Destroyer 666, Nocturnal Graves, Razor of Occam, etc. What do you think it is about your country that inspires this particular type of music?

SB: This gets asked a lot and I really have no idea. I think bands here tend to influence each other, as it’s our own ‘scene’, you know? I think this theory would have been more relevant before the days of internet, but it still seems to hold water. So, yeah, I have no idea.

THKD: What are you listening to at the moment? Do you have any recommendations for THKD readers?

SB: Wardom – When Darkness Reigns (Get this if you can!)
Accept – Blood of the Nations
Death Breath – Stink up the Night
Danzig – Lucifuge
Grand Magus – Hammer of the North

THKD: Will you be doing any touring in support of Boundless? Think you’ll ever make it to the US?

SB: Mate, we would be happy to tour anyway. Actually, anywhere. About to start the planning for hitting Europe in 2012. I guess if the album sells, we could get to the States????? Who knows how the ‘industry’ works these days………..

THKD: Are there any final thoughts you’d like to add?

SB: No, no thoughts. A cheers to you for the interview and support and ‘hoi’ to anyone looking for Assaulter merchandise – Hit us up at: burning_front@hotmail.com

Salut!

Buy Boundless! from the Metal Blade online store

Assaulter at Metal Blade.com

Apr 19 2011

Interview: RAMPANT DECAY

Listen to Rampant Decay on Bandcamp.

Just about every band in heavy music today claims to mix hardcore and metal. Providence, Rhode Island’s Rampant Decay actually delivers, making a crusty crossover racket that’s the sonic equivalent of being locked in the clutches of the Tazzmission… in other words (for you non-ECW fans) it’s a brutalizing musical beatdown of skull-pummeling proportions. I caught up with vocalist Rich Horror and guitarist Pat Mahoney to discuss crossover, booze and professional wrestling.

THKD: Rampant Decay has been brutalizing the underground since 2007. How has the band changed/evolved/devolved over the years?

Rich: Initially it was supposed to be a American version of Brazillian thrash/death meets ignoramus 80’s Boston hardcore band, or that was the idea Pat Mahoney [guitars] had at the time. Our first bass player was Ninkaszi from Witch Tomb, and he brought a lot of Integrity-styled riffs. Once he left, Pat was the sole songwriter and started incorporating a lot more different influences, from Motorhead to Cocksparrer. Getting Pat Singleton on drums has just made us sound a lot leaner and meaner.

THKD: You guys play that bastard child of metal and hardcore that we like to call crossover. Is crossover making a comeback? Did it ever go away?

Pat: Crossover is making a comeback in some ways, but the kind of stuff we play is really different from what’s popular. When we say “crossover”, we’re really just referring to our music being a blend of styles rather than a specific genre.

THKD: What bands influenced Rampant Decay to take up this style? What is it about crossover that you find inspiring?

Pat: It’s just not as limiting as confining ourselves to one category. We set out to be the kind of band that could play HC, metal or punk shows and that versatility is important to us. Bands that are an influence are way too many to name but Rich and I originally wanted RD’s sound to be a mixture of early ’80′s New England HC (FUs, Negative FX, Jerry’s Kids) and dirty, primitive metal like Sextrash, Warfare, VON and Hellhammer. We definitely listen to all the original “crossover” stuff like C.O.C., Cryptic Slaughter, The Accused, Lethal Aggression, etc. Although we don’t sound a lot like those bands, we appreciate the idea of what they were doing with merging punk and thrash metal.

THKD: Many descriptions of Rampant Decay’s music make referrence to alcohol, such as “Drunk Edge” and “Beer-Soaked Fast As Fuck Crusty Crossover”. How much do you guys drink and what’s your booze of choice?

Rich: On a slow week we probably average a case per band member. Narragansett Beer, all the way. We should probably be sponsored by them for all the good work we do for their company. I’m also a fan of Schlitz. And malt liquor. And Jameson.

THKD: You guys recently put out a split 7 w/ Insult. What is the appeal of participating in split releases with other bands?

Pat: We try to do splits with bands whose music and attitude we have something in common with and who can help promote the record. Insult is a MA fastcore band that we’ve all been into since they put out “I Wanna Be a Burn Victim” back in ’94 and The Kruds are a new band from San Antonio, TX who play a Crossed Out/Plutocracy type of style.

THKD: Rampant Decay has a very DIY approach to just about everything you do. What is the appeal of doing everything yourselves? What are the disadvantages?

Rich: The appeal would be nobody telling us who we can record with, not having to get our artwork “approved”, being able to do splits with whatever bands we want to on whatever label we want to. Thanks to PATAC Records, the usual downside isn’t there really. Dan has been really great about getting the word out everywhere about our shows, releases, new merch, etc. I mostly enjoy booking shows so having to do that ourselves is no big deal, I’d probably hate letting that all lie in someone else’s hands anyway.

THKD: Rampant Decay has a page on Bandcamp. Would you agree that this site makes Myspace look like a steaming pile of shit? What is the appeal of using Bandcamp for a band like Rampant Decay?

Rich: I have no idea why MySpace even exists anymore. The very few times I go on it these days, it’s a complete eyesore. It’s as if to combat the invasion of Facebook and similar sites they decided to hire a fourteen year old girl from the Midwest to design it to look just like her LiveJournal. I really like how Bandcamp makes it possible to stream entire albums, I think if they upped the interaction and show listing aspect they’d be the unquestionable number one.

THKD: I know you’re a fan of pro wrestling. Who are some of your favorite wrestlers and matches? Do you guys have any songs about wrestling?

Rich: Taz, The Sandman, Dudley Boys, Yoshihiro Tajiri, Rhino, Harley Race, Arn Anderson, Stan Hansen, Terry Funk, Fabulous Freebirds, the list goes on and on. Pitbulls vs. Raven & Stevie Richards Double Dog Collar Match is probably my favorite thing that ever happened. We have a song called “Tazmission Chokeout Motherfucker” in the set right now. Some upcoming ones are going to be “Dudleys Forever//Forever Dudleys”, “Bruiser Brody Stomp” and “LARIATOOOOO” which is about my idol Stan “The Lariat” Hansen.

THKD: With that said, your band biography mentions a feud with the legendary Von Erich wrestling family. Who would win a cage match between Rich Horror and Kerry Von Erich? What would your strategy be against the Texas Tornado?

Rich: It’d have to be me, just to avenge the Freebirds when they lost that Loser Leaves Texas Cage Match in ’84. I’d just have Gordy break into the cage and batter the fuck out of the pretty boy. Choke him out with the Asiatic Spike while I was at it.

THKD: If I’m not mistaken, Rampant Decay is getting ready to head out on tour at the end of the month. What can fans expect from a RD live show?

Rich: Yep, we’re going out as far as Wisconsin before turning around and heading back home. A Cro-Mags meets Hellhammer sonic battering ram mixed with the best in-between songs heel promos this side of Jim Cornette. And so much booze.

THKD: What does the rest of 2011 have in store for Rampant Decay? Any new releases on the horizon?

Rich: We’re doing a split 7” with Kruds from Texas that’ll be out on their label Blast-A-Lot, Riotous Outburst from Connecticut among a few others. We’ll also be doing a split with Bitchslicer to commemorate their tenth anniversary as a band. After that, it’ll be a full length on PATAC Records that should be available in both CD and vinyl. Other than a few weekend tours we’re going to lie low in order to hit the songwriting with both barrels blazing.

THKD: You’re based out of Providence, RI. What is the metal/hardcore scene like there? Do you get much local support?

Pat: Providence has always had a thriving, diverse music scene. There’s a lot of metal/HC/punk here and there’s shows happening all the time. We have been catching on a bit more but since we’re a relatively new “local” band, it’s been slow to build.

Rich: The last show we played was a basement where I had kids bouncing off me every five seconds and the fluorescent light tube got rocked out of the fixture in the ceiling, so the reaction and support we have gotten thus far has been pretty great.

THKD: What are you listening to right now? Do you have any recommendations for THKD readers?

Rich: Teitanblood, Ramones, 3rd Bass, Dissection, Antiseen, Morbid Angel, In Disgust, Nunslaughter, Judas Priest, Abscess, Devil Dogs, Dio, AC/DC, Hard Skin, Winter. I could go on and on.

Pat: A few things I’ve been listening to are The New Bomb Turks “Destroy, Oh Boy!” LP, AGE (Jpn) “Survive” EP, the new Hookers 7″s, Sabbat/Desaster live split and Sadistic Intent (all). I recommend the Rampant Decay/Insult split 7″.

THKD: In addition to Rampant Decay, you also run the label/booking company Obscenity Cult. How did that come about and what are some of your current and upcoming releases readers should know about?

Rich: We just put out a CD by Blood Of The Gods entitled “The Shadow Before”. Total crusty death metal Entombed/Bolt Thrower worship. Coming up are the next two volumes in our Extreme Audio Gangbang comp series, a split 7” with Knifethruhead and Casket Blaster, sci-fi crossover thrashers Deathamphetamine’s “The Lost Album” and a release from the super stellar Led To The Grave. It’s gonna be a big year.

THKD: If you were able to book any bands you wanted to play the ultimate show, what would the lineup be?

Rich: Infest, Plutocracy, Spazz and Citizens Arrest. Or Entombed, Morbid Angel, Bolt Thrower and Sadistic Intent.

THKD: Are there any final thoughts you’d like to add?

Rich: Just thanks a ton for the interview and the support! Everyone should find us on the internet and order some merch or go to a show AND buy some merch because booze ain’t cheap.

[photos courtesy Rich Horror/Rampant Decay]

http://www.obscenitycult.com/

http://www.patacrecords.com/

Mar 16 2011

Interview: VIOLATOR

My mind is continually blown by the ways in which the internet has opened up the metal scene. Now, instead of scrounging for information about new bands, one can simply google a band name or head to Metal Archives and find out everything you need to know. But the best part has to be the people I’ve met from all over the world via the wonders of the web. Pedro “Poney” Arcanjo, bassist/vocalist of Brazillian thrash quartet Violator is one of the those people who’ve been gracious enough to develop a correspondence with me. His enthusiasm for all things metal is downright infectious, his sincerity and social conscience is refreshing in these often phony and pretentious metallic times we currently find ourselves in. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that his band is one of the best modern thrash bands I’ve heard. Combining the unhinged brutality that Brazilian bands are known for (see early Sepultura, Sarcofago, etc) with the razor-sharp precision of the German strain of thrash (Kreator, Sodom), Violator have been in the game for nearly a decade and can give just about any band riding the current thrash revival wave a run for their money and then some.

I sent Poney a ton of questions in order pique his brain about Violator, life in Brazil, politics, and thrash metal’s past present and future.

THKD: For those readers who might be unfamiliar, can you tell us how Violator got started? What was your inspiration for forming the band?

Poney: Hey! First, let me say thank you very much for all the support and interest. I really dig THKD and it’s an unbelievable pleasure to keep in touch with you. Anyway, Violator got together in early 2002, we have been (trying to) thrashing together since 1999, but we were just really young kids that could not manage guitar amps. At the time, we were totally fed up with the metal scene here in our town. The late 90’s were the “new metal days”, you must remember (I would like to forget) and everything just seemed so fake and trendy to us. Everything seemed to be won by status or commercial success, and we hated that. We wanted to do something more real (not in the Manowar sense, I mean sincere, you know) and spontaneous and we found all of that and much more in old Thrash Metal records in abandoned stores here in Brasilia. We didn’t know anyone who enjoyed “old school” metal or punk, but we really identified ourselves with that (counter)culture. Now, it’s almost ten years later and we have travelled a big part of the world and released lots of records, but the essence it’s the same, four friends that enjoy being together and playing the fastest we can.

THKD: You guys just put out your first official music video for the song “Futurephobia”. What made you want to do a music video? What was it like filming? Did you enjoy the process? Why did you choose that particular song for the video?

P: We felt like it would be nice to have to have a video, that’s it. We have a friend that’s starting work with that, he just bought a camera, and he offered to do a video for us. We shot it very quickly, on a Friday night in a studio a friend borrowed us. I’m really satisfied with the result. I think it’s a big step for Violator. But what makes me totally happy is that we were able to put out something with a nice quality and we didn’t have to compromise one millimeter in our underground view. We were able to do that following the ethos of “do-it-yourself”, which is really important to us and working not with money relationships but partnerships based on friendship. You know, it may sound corny, but we still see this scene as an international network of friends (as Heresy used to state). I think that the video really captures the kind of energy we want to promote with Violator. I hope people can see that. What you see on the video is what you will see on stage. There’s no fantasy or characters on it, and for me that’s one of the nicest things about thrash. You can just be yourself.

THKD: “Futurephobia” comes from your 2010 EP, Annihilation Process. Can you tell us a little about that release? How does it compare to your earlier material?

P: Annihilation Process is a six-song EP we released through Kill Again Records (a label from our city which we have been working with since the early days of the band). As for the musical side, I think this material is another step in the constant evolution we are trying to make since our first demo. We are always trying to sound more aggressive and I really believe Annihilation Process is another step on that direction. The songs are shorter, faster and louder. There were a lot of people who didn’t enjoy that, maybe they were looking for a ballad or some moshin’ songs about beer. (laughs) But for us, we enjoy this more “direct approach” to thrash. Straight-forward stuff like Darkness Descends, Reign in Blood or Torment in Fire. One day I hope we can achieve a little percentage of the adrenalin discharge of these albums. As for the lyrical side, I think the EP is a huge progress for the band, you know? In my opinion, Annihilation Process shows a more mature band and much more political and critical approach to the songs. I believe we are finding a nice way to channel all the aggression in the music towards relevant contents. In a way this is a much more “non-fantasy” album, and on this perspective (at least on this one) much more thrash, I believe.

THKD: Violator has a lot of songs about nuclear war, destruction, the apocalypse, etc. What is it about these themes that appeals to you? What are some of the other topics you address with Violator’s music? Do you consider Violator a “politcal” band?

P: Our previous album was filled with songs about war and destruction. We tried to make an approach to that theme not emphasizing “how cool is the radiation logo”, but trying to raise a reflection about the fragility of our world and how everything can be vanished by politics that are guided by profit. Anyway, even on that record we had songs about the legal system and the death penalty, the extermination of homeless people from Brazil, for example. On this new album, there’s this concept of this process of annihilation that is not something from a post-apocalyptic sci-fi dystopia, but something that is happening everyday right before our eyes (there’s a text in the record about that). So there are songs about consumerism that rapes the Earth, vivisection, cars and oil industry of war, etc. I don’t know if I would consider Violator a “political band” (I don’t even know what that really means, to tell you the truth). All I can say is that living in a really fucked up country like Brazil and ignoring all the violence, abuse and corruption that surrounds us would be really conformist. People here get used to the injustices, to seeing kids dying on the streets everyday, you know? I don’t believe music has the power to change the world, it would be just too naïve to think something like that. I just don’t want to be a part of those who ignore all the horrible things of our reality. In a third world country, to ignore that is to consent.

THKD: You also recently put out “Futurephobia” on a split 7″ with Hirax. How did that come about? Were you excited to share a release with such a legendary band?

P: Yeah, really excited! You know, we grew up listening to “Hate, Fear and Power”. I really love that hardcore edge, carried by Eric Brecht. So it was something really surreal to have a split 7” with Hirax. We got to know them when we played in Japan together in 2009, and they showed to be great guys. No rock-stars bullshit, just simple people that love to play their music. And Katon is incredible. Probably the most charismatic person in the metal scene, don’t you think? And all of that passion he demonstrates is really sincere, I totally admire that. So, when we get back from Japan, Katon wrote us and invited us to do the split EP. We were really happy to release that. I love that cover.

THKD: You’ve done a few other splits with bands like Bywar and Bandanos. What is it about doing split releases that appeals to you?

P: People usually ask that to us. I don’t know exactly, I just think we normally like to become friends with bands we play with. So, during the trips together, or having bands in my house for example, we talk about doing something together and it works fine. I enjoy very much split albums, here in Brazil people used to release in the 80’s bootleg splits of records that weren’t originally together, so you can have a great split like Destruction/Sodom with “Sentence of Death” on one side and “In the sign of evil” on the other, which is a combination hard to beat (laughs).

THKD: If I’m not mistaken, your next release is a live DVD. What can you tell us about it?

P: Yeah, we’ve just released a DVD, live at Santiago, Chile in 2007. It’s not a big super production, it’s just a honest capture of that adrenalin rush we try to promote at each concert. Probably, one of the best gigs of our lives, the crowd in Chile is totally insane. This DVD is being sold at a very low price (something like 7 dollars) and it’s a kind of a gift and a big “thank you” to our friends from South America. It is the record and the best memory of a crazy adventure we had in 2007, when we dropped our lives, jobs and universities here in Brasilia and spent an entire semester traveling with Violator. This show in Santiago is perhaps the better record capture of those intense days of 2007. I hope people can feel something close to that when they watch it.

THKD: Thrash metal has made a comeback in recent years. Did it ever really go away? Why do you think thrash has become “popular” again?

P: If you look really specifically, there were always people producing thrash, all over the world. In a very shitty time like ’97, you would have bands like Bywar here in Brazil, or Aura Noir in Europe or the coming back of the original line up of Whiplash with that explicit thrash reference. But probably for the mainstream metal market (something that we shouldn’t pay much attention to if you ask me) it was gone and buried, I guess. This if you agree with me that things like Machine Head or Pantera are not thrash metal. That’s why maybe this whole concept of “old school”, is kind of empty, its just thrash, I rather say. Well, I don’t have a right answer, but I guess it became popular again because people were missing that spontaneity, that “good friendly violent fun” that thrash can produce. I guess people were trying to go to metal concerts to see guys catwalking with their beautiful hair or making a championship to see who is more evil. I was tired of that. But I don’t know how much time this “popularity” (which is pretty relative, don’t you think?) will last. Here in Brazil, it seems to be fading away again. People seemed more interested in thrash in 2005/06. I hope the good bands continue, cause one of the worst things for thrash in my opinion is to be always associated with a time or a generation. It’s like it is never just a subgenre of music, but always like a “revival” or a “nostalgia”, and this is really counter-productive.

THKD: Do you think the recent resurgence of thrash metal has anything to do with the current political/economic climate?

P: I have never thought of that. What do you think? I was reading an article last week that was talking about that the most important figure of the first generation of the American hardcore-punk was not Jello Biafra or Ian Mackeye, but Ronald Reagan. I think this couldn’t be truer. But I don’t know if the George Bush era had the same importance. Honestly I think the kids in the metal scene usually don’t care much about that, and all the great reaction we could have to the conservative wave seems pretty weak. Here in Brazil, I think this resurgence had much more to do about musical feelings than political ones.

THKD: With that said, you guys have been doing this since 2002. Do you worry about getting lumped in with these “retro” thrash bands that are coming out of the woodwork lately?

P: People usually put Violator together with this “new wave”. I don’t have a problem with that, and I really enjoy lots of these new bands. I know there are people who see that as a big trend, but I guess the best way to know that is time. I also know that there are a lot of bands that enjoy cultivating something like rivalries and I’m sorry for them. “Cooperation, not competition”, this punk cliché could not be better to describe how we feel towards the international thrash scene. We are not making any money with this, so let’s just have a good time, right?

THKD: Brazil has a very rich history of producing great metal bands. How does living in Brazil inspire/inform your music? Do you feel that you have a reputation to live up to, coming from the country that brought us legendary bands like Sarcofago and Sepultura?

P: First, I think there’s this huge inspiration that I mention before that comes not from the music produced here in our country but from the totally fucked up third world situation we find ourselves in. I don’t believe this is even necessarily a conscious inspiration and I just realized that when we first toured Europe. When I came back I started to pay more attention on all the abuses we see everyday (and get used to) and all the difficulties that exist to produce underground music in Brazil. You may imagine, but having a metal/hardcore band over here is something really against the grain. Somehow I guess the kids can transform these difficulties into energy and aggression, maybe one of the reasons we’ve had so many great bands over the years, I don’t know. Answering your second question, there’s always the name “Sepultura” when we talk to people from overseas. There’s a kind of association between Violator and the old Sepultura. If you ask me, I think we will never sound as good as those guys sounded back in the days. What they had here was something really special and I don’t know if anyone would ever sound as tight and aggressive as those guys. “Beneath the Remains” is maybe my favorite album of all time and we love old brazilian metal like Sarcofago, Mutilator, Corpse, Witchhammer, Explicit Hate, etc. We even recorded some covers of old brazilian bands: Taurus and Executer.

THKD: What are some modern Brazillian metal bands people should be listening to? Do you have any recommendations for THKD readers?

P: Here are some recommendations for the THKD readers (which I think are very exigent) of brazilian metal and punk bands: Farscape, Bywar, Apokalyptic Raids, Deathraiser, Infamous Glory, Pesticide, Flagelador, Em Ruinas, Low Life, Possuido Pelo Cão, Acid Speech, DFC, Discarga, DER, Hell Bullet, Hate Your Fate, Slaver, Defy, Social Chaos, Ameaça Cigana, Lei do Cão…

THKD: What are you listening to right now? What were the last albums you bought/heard/downloaded/etc?

P: Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Swedish and Swedish-influenced Death Metal stuff. Old bands like Nirvana 2002 and new stuff like son o Earth, or even stuff that maybe is not totally death metal, but has a lot of influence of that boss-sunlight studios guitar sound. Stuff like Nails and Black Breath. I’ve been listening to a lot of doom and stoner stuff, other types of slow music (laughs). Lately I just can’t stop listening to Serpent Throne, Graveyard and Dead Meadow. Also, what hasn’t left my stereo for the last five years are the new bands of old American hardcore-punk. Bands like Direct Control, Government Warning, Double Negative… The last Lp’s I bought were just some new punk rock stuff. I guess it was the second Red Dons album, the second Masshysteri and the Imposters’ “Time has come” LP.

THKD: Your website lists several upcoming shows in Brazil. Have you ever played/toured outside of South America? Is Violator’s music best experienced live?

P: Yeah, we have gone two times to Europe and one time to Japan. We have plans for this year to do a Mexico and Central America Tour. Yeah, we play a lot live. We have regular jobs during the week, but even though we play and travel almost every weekend.

THKD: What does the rest of 2011 have in store for Violator? Can we expect any new material?

P: I don’t know if we will be able to record new material for this year. We are planning to do that in Europe, but I guess we will use our vacations to tour in Central America. You know, playing for nice people and getting a beach at the Caribe, the best combination. We also have a tour with DRI here in Brazil and some concerts with Hirax. These are the plans so far.

THKD: Where is thrash metal headed? How do you see the genre progressing in the future? Is thrash timeless music?

P: I hope it is! (laughs) No, seriously. I think the urgency and the aggression of thrash music is timeless. Of course, I don’t want to hear the same riffs over and over, nothing worst than generic uninspired songs, in any genre. But I truly believe it’s possible to make Thrash Metal that is relevant for nowdays. It’s a challenge, we have 25 years of history of this subgenre, but people have being playing jazz and classic rock for much more time. And we usually don’t hear about the “jazz revival”, it’s a genre of music, with good, relevant, catchy stuff and lots of generic disposable production. I believe with thrash is the same thing. As it concerns Violator, I hope we can keep trying to push the edge of thrash violence and concentrate our efforts on producing the most intense music we can.

THKD: If you had the opportunity to book the ultimate thrash metal concert, what bands would be on the bill?

P: If I had access to the Nocturnus Time Machine or the Delorian, it would be: Exodus (Paul Ballof era), Sepultura (circa 1990), Anthrax (in the Among the Living tour) and Kreator (during that US tour 1988). If it were today, I would call Farscape, The Force, Warbringer and Fueled by Fire.

THKD: Are there any final thoughts you’d like to add?

P: I just want to say thank you very much for this awesome interview. And thanx to everybody that read all that and support Violator. Hope we can get the visa to tour in the US someday (laughs). Support your local scene and keep it simple. UFT!

http://www.violatorthrash.com

http://www.killagainrec.com

Feb 26 2011

Interview: ABADDON INCARNATE

The Irish metal scene is a complete mystery to me. Aside from Primordial, Invictus Records and, uhhh… that’s about it, I literally know next to nothing about headbanging on the Emerald Isle. So, when the fine folks at Catharsis PR approached me with the opportunity to listen to and interrogate long-running Irish deathgrind merchants Abaddon Incarnate, I jumped at the chance, hoping to gain a little insight. The band has recently released a split 7″ with their American counterparts/brothers in grind Phobia.

THKD: Abaddon Incarnate has been around since 1994. To what do you attribute the band’s longevity?

Steve Maher: Hiya, well first off, we’re not sure if we started in late 94 or early 95 as we ditched the old band which were banging away in since 92 and evolved into AI so to speak. But longevity yeah, I guess it’s a tenacity, or a diehard attitude. Or just brutal stubbornness, me and Bill have been a constant driving force in this band since the start so I guess we just need to keep writing songs and performing live. Every time we do an album we are real eager to get the next one started so there is always a carrot on the stick.

THKD: What is it about grindcore that you find inspiring? What drives you to create and play such aggressive music?

Steve Maher: The beats and the sound just fill my brain 100% there is no room for anything else and I am satisfied when I listen to this shit, death metal and grindcore has been my obsession since I was a 12/13 year old kid and I first heard Napalm death, morbid angel and deicide and Carcass

THKD: How did the split with Phobia come about? Had you been in touch with them beforehand?

Steve Maher: No we’ve never been in touch with Phobia about this release. I met them in 2003 at the Fuck the commerce festival in Germany but we had no idea we would be doing a split. The label (underground Movement) organized it all.

THKD: Abaddon Incarnate contributed 3 tracks to the split. Is there anything tying your three songs together thematically/lyrically? What are these songs about?

Steve Maher: Chthonic Sacrifice is based on two things, first a book I read as kid called “the glass knife” by a guy called John Tully which left a mark in my mind thereafter, and second a discovery channel program on human sacrifice. I never wrote about South American occult/religion before and it’s pretty bloody and extreme so I thought why not? Vermin apocalypse is about the futile attempts by the plague doctors during the Black Death to heal the sick. Johnny king (our drummer) suggested I write a song about these guys back when we were recording “cascade” but nothing came of it. “Crucible” is about trying to break out of alcohol and drug addiction, the drink and drugs are a armor you use to keep the world out and you got to remake yourself within this armor so your strong enough to walk free among the people outside. But it’s written as a black magic prayer, so it’s usual satanic “self overcoming” attaining godhood etc. I mean how can you be your own god if you’re a drunken joke of a human stumbling out of control from one calamity to the next?

THKD: When and where were the tracks for the split recorded? How quickly did they come together?

Steve Maher: They were recorded in Nebula studios in limerick here in Ireland. They were written pretty quickly but they took a while to record because I had a bike crash and broke my collarbone in between sessions so the whole thing got drawn out a lot longer than was anticipated.

THKD: What do you like about the split release format? What are the advantages of doing a split release for two bands as well established as Abaddon Incarnate and Phobia?

Steve Maher: It’s a good chance for fans of both bands to hear the other, there’s shitloads of Abaddon Incarnate fans who have never listened to phobia and vice versa so it expands both bands horizons. Also it’s cool to have plastic out too.

THKD: Aside from both being grindcore bands, how do Abaddon Incarnate and Phobia compare? What other traits do the two bands share and what sets you apart from one another?

Steve Maher: Hehe, we are different in a lot of ways, the similarities would be we are both really fucking extreme, it doesn’t get much heavier than a split from phobia and Abaddon Incarnate.

THKD: With Phobia living on a different continent were there any obstacles involved in putting the split together?

Steve Maher: Not really, the internet is a global community now so we both recorded in our respective territories and the label did the rest. Mp3s can be emailed so we don’t have to rely on the postman to get his drunk arse out of bed and drop the CD in the letterbox anymore.

THKD: To outsiders, Ireland isn’t well known for grindcore. Is there an Irish grindcore underground the rest of the world doesn’t know about?

Steve Maher: Good grind? I’ll eat your face, sarcosis, the whole crust dbeat thing is becoming more trendy now.

THKD: What Irish bands were important to you growing up? Who are some current Irish bands people should be listening to?

Steve Maher: I only started listening to extreme Irish music around the age of 14, Morphosis, primordial and paranoid visions, later Brinskil bombeat were pretty good. These were influential to me personally and were big in my world back then. Nowadays there is so many cool bands, death metal you can check out Nephridium, warpath, Morphosis ( still going after all these years ) Zealot cult, Putrefy ( still going after all these years ), Overoth, condemned, zombiefied. Also, not death metal but have a listen to altar of plagues, geasa, then there’s doom stuff like wreck of the hesperes, and other older cool stuff like Scald for example. Irish metal is becoming really international nowadays, When we all started out if a band toured Dublin, Galway and Cork we thought they were going to be massive. Irish bands are getting on European tours, American tours, playing festivals, we have some decent labels and good promoters to bring large acts over and build bridges.

THKD: What are you personally listening to right now? Do you have any recommendations for THKD’s readers?

Steve Maher: I’m listening to the latest immolation album majesty and decay and Type O negatives Life is killing me a lot the last few weeks. 50% of that type O album is shitty Beatles crap but there are 3 or 4 killer tunes there also. I’ve also been banging out repulsions horrified quite often, carcass symphonies is getting a fair few spins and also I’m listening to way too much nile.

THKD: Are the members of Abaddon Incarnate involved in any other projects? Is the Irish scene as incestuous as say, the Scandinavian scene?

Steve Maher: Johnny plays in altar of Plagues, and also another band called sobd who I haven’t heard yet, Steve f plays in a crust band called “twisted mass” and also a gore grind band called sarcosis. I used to play in Geasa for 10 years and bill plays in a ambient dance thing called alibitrax and a Depeche mode covers band to pay the mortgage. Yeah it’s pretty incestuous, Irish and Scandinavians both like fucking people from our own families.

THKD: What does the rest of the year have in store for Abaddon Incarnate? Do you have any other releases planned for 2011? Are you working on any more new material?

Steve Maher: I want to record at the end of 2011, but nothing concrete is set yet. We have lots of new material, we just need to organize it.

THKD: Are you touring at all this year? Do you enjoy playing live? How would you describe an Abaddon Incarnate live show to someone that has never seen you?

Steve Maher: We are playing 3 dates in the Uk with general surgery in may, 2 dates in Ireland with basement torture killings from London in June, then a 20 date south American tour in Ecuador, Peru and Colombia next august. I really enjoy playing live, it’s the pinnacle of being in a band, what it’s all about. Abaddon Incarnate live show is typical 4 dudes with shaggy hair and manky t shirts screaming and grinding until everyone’s heads implode, usual stuff.

THKD: Are there any final thoughts you’d like to add?

Steve Maher: Final thoughts, Final thoughts? That’s a shitty obituary song right? Cause of death and slowly we rot slay. I sat beside a Old dude with grey hair in a suit on the train today and he was listening to slayer reign in blood, and also sitting there was a teenager with a emo fringe and some weird annoying screamo crap coming out of his earphones, I’m getting old and I’m fucking glad I have nothing to do with that screamo shit. But reign in blood is awesome; altar of sacrifice is probably one of the top 5 songs ever written in this universe. Thanks for the interview, cheers for the support.

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The Abaddon Incarnate / Phobia split is available now via Underground Movement. http://www.underground-movement.net

NOTE: The Abaddon Incarnate songs featured in this interview are from the band’s 2009 full length Cascade, not the aforementioned split w/ Phobia.

Feb 13 2011

Interview: INQUISITION

Inquistion’s Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm was my co-album of the year for 2010 (along w/ Deathspell Omega’s Paracletus). Due to some “controversy” regarding the official release date (It was officially released in Europe and South America in 2010. The official US release date was 2011, but HHR was selling copies in late 2010), it might also be my 2011 album of the year. Nowhere on Earth will you find a better modern take on traditional black metal than this album, or Inquisition’s stellar back catalogue for that matter. Dagon’s riff wizardry and eerie, ritualistic vocals mesh with Incubus’ drumming par excellence to create a perfect storm of black metal that is both catchy and crushing. The duo is taking USBM back from the hipsters and bullshit artists one devastating track at a time.

After worshipping the band from afar for several years, I finally got in touch with guitarist/vocalist Dagon to discuss the new album and the thoughts/concepts behind Inquisition’s singular take on black metal..

THKD: What can you tell us about the new album’s title, Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm? I know there is a quote from you inside the booklet that explains it to a degree, but can you give our readers some further insight into the meaning?

Dagon: The title itself, in essence means “dark laws of the infinite universe”. On the cover you can see two skulls, one above and one below and in the middle a dead star cracked with a black hole in the middle. The two skulls represent the forces of duality and the dead star represents the the mass where all the energy goes recycling back into the astral plane.

That cycle is the prime law of the universe, something very powerful, opposite forces uniting to create and destroy leaving behind a black hole, something massively powerful, a form of Satan if you will.

With that said, this cover explains well the meaning of the entire album.

THKD: What did you set out to accomplish with Ominous Doctrines…? What was your mindset going into creating the new album?

Dagon: As cliché as it may sound, my primary goal was to create the best album I could and by that I mean creating very catchy riffs with quick twists and turns, make an active album that kept the listener busy and glued to the speakers without losing interest and adding as always those spoken, chanted like vocals that simply dwindle upon the music simply communicating a message.

Production wise I wanted a good classic guitar tone so I went with the old Marshall heads, we all were going for a natural drum sound that still projected strong, and near zero effects on the vocals.

THKD: How would you describe your approach to songwriting? Did you do/try anything different when it came time to write Ominous Doctrines…?

Dagon: Nothing different at all but I would say that for this album I spent much more time writing riffs alone, allowing myself more deep thinking while writing. In the past I would try and create with Incubus there with me, improvising as we go and keeping what I liked. This time, riffs were mostly created while alone.

THKD: Exceptional guitar work is one of Inquisition’s trademarks. Who are your influences/inspirations as a guitarist? Do you practice often? How would you describe your approach to the instrument?

Dagon: Lately I have been practicing much more than before. I’m trying to keep the one hour a day rule to keep those muscle groups in check we guitarists rely on so much in the forearm areas and also simply keep my creativity on fire. I am starting to write the riffs for the next album so it’s important to stay active.

Influences, believe it or not my number one influence has been Angus Young. He inspired me to start playing a guitar and he inspired me to play those fat power chord driven riffs.

My approach, I assume you are asking about technique? I took classical guitar for almost five years, so the good thing is I am very focused on good posture because poor posture really can affect how you are able to execute your chords. I always make sure I play hard; I play very hard in fact, because it’s the way to get tone out of a tube amplifier. Tubes have dynamics and when you strike or tremolo pick those massive power chords you want people to feel that power. Clean playing, is another golden rule, I want people to hear every note I am executing.

THKD: Another Inquisition trademark is of course the eerie, reptilian-sounding vocals. How did you develop your vocal approach?

Dagon: Back in the day when I was thinking about a vocal style for Inquisition I came to the conclusion that I did not want something screamed out at top lung, so many people were doing that, and still are, and identity is important to me so I figured what can I do that the majority are not doing; meanwhile I kept hearing this idea in my head of a spoken like inhuman form of vocals chanting over very heavy and at times fast music creating a contrast.

That’s why when people say it sounds like a frog or anything else I feel I obtained what I wanted, I achieved that goal of keeping the human factor out of the vocal chants.

THKD: Inquisition is a band with a satanic message. What does Satan mean to you? Is black metal inherently Satanic?

Dagon: Black Metal is very satanic. Its individualism, elitism, rebellion against unnecessary control, pride with a cause. Everything that Christian book tells us about “the devil” is in essence what Black Metal is but through sound waves. Forget one moment about Christianity in general and think of Satanism as the negative pole.

THKD: In addition to Satanism, I also detect some cosmic and metaphysical themes on the new album. Can you talk a bit about that?

Dagon: Satanism is much deeper than what I just described. That energy is everywhere, it’s in that cosmic dust that makes the ground we walk on and even who we are. Every cosmic molecule is in you and will eventually crumble and die, recycling itself back with the stars, from there you hear the known phrase “we are all a star” for good reason.

Also, space in general is simply the most real heaven and the most real hell you will ever come across alive or dead, that’s it, it’s the real deal. The massive chaos, titanic cosmic bodies that dwindle around, everything around us is so massive and powerful that I see the parallel of what all the known mythologies to mankind have written about heaven and hell as a direct inspiration from it (space) as something we have been overlooking our entire lifetime.

There is much more to my views on this but overall the roots of it were mentioned.

THKD: Inquisition continues to wear corpse paint while many other black metal bands have abandoned the practice. Why is this important to you and what does it symbolize?

Dagon: By removing it I feel it would symbolize a change so removing the paint one day is out of question. It symbolizes a movement within a movement, Black metal; it represents the difference between “their” metal and thinking and “our” metal and way of thinking. It represents the fact that black metal is more than music and is a form of magic and ritual. It represents the fact that the spiritual self is unleashed.

THKD: You also tend to take your band photos in broad daylight rather than at night like most other black metal bands. What is the significance of appearing in daylight?

Dagon: The point to get across to people was the fact that transcendentalism, mysticism, spirituality and elevated states of mind go beyond the nocturnal veil. Day is as powerful as night, we don’t resonate with the night only.

To be specific though, on our 2004 album “Magnificent Glorification of Lucifer” the main focus was Lucifer himself, the morning star and what better to celebrate that than having adding images under the rays of that star.

To many its funny, I understand, I have probably more sense of humor than most reading this or listening to Inquisition, but at the end of the day as an artist I will follow through with an idea if the meaning of it overpowers the reaction I will get from the crowds.

THKD: Why do you prefer to work as a duo? Would you ever consider adding more members to Inquisition?

Dagon: Because it works just fine. If your food tastes fine with just two ingredients why add more? Stupid analogies aside, I can tell you it is comfortable while touring, but at times it has its negatives like taking in more work per member as well. But overall the band functions just fine, for rehearsals we meet and there’s no one else to have to wait for, less room for error, a much more personal feeling rather a group feel to it. Live there is no lacking of low end so we don’t even miss having a bass player and that in itself is what makes Inquisitions sound, something a little different.

THKD: With that said, what does each of the two members of the Inquisition bring to the band? The two of you have developed a unique synergy.

Dagon: I don’t think we bring anything anymore special then other bands do when members get together and arrange songs. I mean, I bring guitars and vocals; Incubus brings drums to the scenario and we put songs together like any other musician does. I think the extra care lies in the way melodies are chosen and put together; the magic is knowing what a good tune is and knowing where to place it. Incubus is great at knowing when to highlight something and when not to and just keep tempos and not saturate a song with meaningless drum fills. All those things when you add them together is what we both contribute.

THKD: Your last few album covers have been by Antichrist Kramer. How did he come to be your go to artist? What does his artwork add to the Inquisition experience?

Dagon: I met him in 2002 through his zine he was making at the time. After talking to him I found out he painted, it was something he did on a personal level. I asked him if he could show me his art without ever letting him know I was interested in finding a new artist. Once I saw a sample of his work I asked him if he would like to work with us because I was interested in an artist that had not been working with anybody and could basically grow with the band. I never wanted to work with an artist that lots of other bands had worked with so luckily it all worked out because you can look at an Inquisition cover and immediately know whose cover that is, his style is unique and uniqueness is an important element for Inquisition.

THKD: In addition to Ominous Doctrines…, you recently re-released your first album, Into the Infernal Regions of the Ancient Cult. How does your first album compare with your most recent work? How has Inquisition evolved since then?

Dagon: I think we evolved, absolutely. We are tighter, faster, heavier… the elements we had before have been worked on and improved, and to me that’s evolution.

THKD: Ominous Doctrines… and Into the Infernal Regions… are your first releases for Hells Headbangers. How did you come to work with the label?

Dagon: Chase contacted us asking if we were interested in allowing his label to release a special addition of our first album. Knowing how good of work he does and his excellent reputation I felt it would be a good idea to ask him if he would like to re-release all past Inquisition releases in special editions for fans. Also, we needed to get some distribution taken care of in the Americas and Hells Headbangers could cover that, No Colours Rec. alone was not distributing well enough on the American continent.

THKD: It is well known that you originally hail from Columbia, but now reside in the US. What are your thoughts on the state of the US black metal scene?

Dagon: To clear things up, I am an American that’s half Colombian. I started the band down in Colombia where I had been living for 14 years and decided to come back. I have no thoughts on the American Black metal scene; I have nothing neither great nor bad to say.
It’s such a passive scene that I don’t have enough material to form an opinion on.

THKD: Will you be touring in support of Ominous Doctrines…? How would you describe the Inquisition live experience?

Dagon: The shows will always be about the music first, we have a very simple stripped down stage setting, just a few banners. The only visuals we rely on are low lighting to enhance the atmosphere. The music is the drug, the poison, the spiritual experience and even war all in one dose. Come to an Inquisition event and I promise you will walk out feeling just fine. I can’t use many words here; I don’t want to try to sell myself here or the band.

Touring, of course, we are definitely a live band. Keep your eyes open and I am sure you will come across dates. We have festivals coming up. Maryland Death Fest, Kings of Black Metal in Germany, Hammer Open Air in Finland and more to come.

THKD: Are there any final thoughts you’d like to add?

Dagon: Enjoy the new album, “Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm”

http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/inquisition/

that's how kids die.

heavy metal, or no metal at all.

Category Archives: Interviews

Interview: LOSS

Interview: AOSOTH

Interview: FIENDS AT FEAST

Interview: ANTEDILUVIAN

Interview: IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT

Interview: ASSAULTER

Interview: RAMPANT DECAY

Interview: VIOLATOR

Interview: ABADDON INCARNATE

Interview: INQUISITION