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
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.
I absolutely love Subrosa’s latest album, No Help for the Mighty Ones. So should you. I could go on for days about the band’s earth-shaking mix of doom, sludge and vintage alt-rock, but I’d much rather let one of the architects behind this phenomenal recording do the talking. I got in touch with guitarist/vocalist Rebecca Vernon with a little help from the fine folks at Profound Lore, and the following in-depth interrogation transpired.
THKD: For THKD readers who might not be familiar with Subrosa, how did the band get started? What was your initial inspiration?
Rebecca Vernon: I had the idea to start a band like Subrosa, minus the violins, for about three years before Subrosa began. The initial inspiration for me wanting to write heavy sludge music at all was a band from Provo, Utah called the Red Bennies … still the angriest band I’ve ever seen live. They were playing strange, heavy, downtuned sludge with a confrontational punk edge in 1994. They are my biggest influence.
THKD: How would you describe Subrosa’s sound to someone who hasn’t heard your music?
RV: I guess I would call us experimental, melodic stoner/sludge metal with electric violins. I’m not afraid to categorize us. ☺
THKD: What can you tell us about Subrosa’s songwriting process? Is there a “main composer” or do you write as a group?
RV: I started the band with a vision in mind, and wrote most of the parts for the songs for the first few years (except violin—Sarah’s always written her own violin part). But over the last two years, members joined the band who could write their own parts and preferred to … which I welcomed with open arms, because there’s nothing worse than coming up with a great guitar riff, then remembering you also have to write the vocal melody, lyrics, bass, and drum parts. Ugh.
THKD: The song “Borrowed Time, Borrowed Eyes” was inspired by Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. What is it about that novel that prompted you to write a song about it?
RV: For one, Cormac McCarthy is a word-smithing genius. The beauty and pain of his writing is unbelievable, unearthly. His characters’ dialogue, too, is spare and perfect.
In particular though, what I focused on in The Road through the lyrics of “Borrowed Time, Borrowed Eyes” (which is a phrase from the book), is that the silly, banal folk wisdom that we build our lives around, those clichés that appear on refrigerator magnets that everyone clings to desperately amidst the shipwrecks of their lives, are pretty much all transparent lies. Our society has no true moorings, and if and when it falls apart one day, everyone will turn into animals, and I will watch it all, laughing.
THKD: “House Carpenter” is a traditional Celtic folk song. Why did you choose this song to cover? How does folk music tie into what you’re doing in Subrosa?
RV: Well, I used to think I hated folk music. I always thought the people who wrote and performed it were pretentious. But now I know better. There’s something so sorrowful about old folk music written in a minor key … it’s as if the songs, after passing through so many decades, absorbed the pain of all the people it touched, and absorbed the spirit of their times. I’m drawn to any music that smacks of “source” material, not copies of a copy. Sarah and I saw “House Carpenter” performed on The Harry Smith Project Live DVD, and fell in love with it. (The DVD has performances from Nick Cave, Elvis Costello, Lou Reed, Beck, Sonic Youth and more, covering songs from Harry Smith’s Anthology of American Folk Music.)
THKD: What are some of the other lyrical themes you’re exploring on the album? I definitely get a similar folk/rustic vibe from songs such as “Whippoorwill” and “Attack on Golden Mountain” as well.
RV: “Whippoorwill” definitely was intended to carry that old-school folk feel, and “Attack on Golden Mountain,” has lyrics that follow a folk-like narrative. I think there’s something powerful about telling a story with a few well-chosen, deceptively simple words. Stories are what our lives are based on, and our love of stories is what makes us human. I guess this is why I’m drawn to folk music and that style of lyric-writing.
THKD: Tell us about the song “Beneath the Crown”. I know it has to do with a book on eugenics, but can you go into specifics?
RV: The book, War Against the Weak: Eugenics and America’s Campaign to Create a Master Race talks about a mass sterilization program that occurred in the early part of the last century in America, backed by corporate funding and promoted in academia. It was a social “clean up” of what eugenics enthusiasts perceived as the lower echelons of society—the poor, the diseased, the mentally ill. They felt if they could keep these “undesirables” from reproducing, they could eradicate poverty and disease—and eventually create a master race.
Their philosophies had a direct influence on the Nazis.
It’s a profoundly disturbing book that everyone should read.
THKD: No Help for the Mighty Ones features two violinists. What prompted this approach? What do the violins add to Subrosa’s sound?
RV: My friend, Sarah, was learning violin the summer Subrosa started and so that’s how violins were added to the mix. At first I just visualized a really, really heavy band, and at first I didn’t know how violins would fit into that. But now I’m gladdened by the happy accident … the violins add a depth of haunting emotion to the music that wouldn’t be there otherwise. Kim Pack joined Subrosa in 2009, so now there are two violins—a dual harmonic attack.
THKD: How does the band’s unique instrumentation effect your guitar technique?
RV: I’ve never really felt motivated to play many guitar solos, because the violins take their place. They add the higher-pitched, intense intricacy of traditional metal guitar solos.
THKD: In addition to metal, I hear a lot of ’90s alternative rock (for lack of a better term). I’m thinking specifically of bands like the Breeders, the Pixies, Mazzy Star, PJ Harvey, etc. Were any of these bands or that era in general influential for you or am I way off the mark?
RV: We have gotten that before, but if so, it’s largely unconscious. I was very influenced by the grunge movement when it was happening, but I never directly aspired to capture that era of sound.
PJ Harvey, though, is a major influence on my guitar riffs … her raw, stripped-down approach reminds me that effective riffs are all about simplicity, power and soul. She is one of my top three favorite artists.
THKD: Glyn Smith’s artwork for No Help For the Mighty Ones is as spectacular as the music. What does that visual element add to the album? How important are visuals to Subrosa?
RV: Thanks, I’ll tell Glyn you said that. ☺
The album artwork is based on a story that I feel fits in perfectly with the title of the album and the main themes I was trying to capture lyrically—exploitation of the powerless. It’s the story of Tere Jo Dupperault, and the fate of the man that murdered her family. If you Google her name, you can read the details of her story.
The visual side of music is very important to Subrosa; I believe the right visuals can enhance and amplify the emotions and mood of music.
THKD: No Help for the Mighty Ones is your first album for Profound Lore. How did you get hooked up with the label?
RV: Chris and I were in touch since Strega came out in 2008 on I Hate Records. When the co-owner responsible for signing Subrosa left the label, we found ourselves with no one to release our next album. I approached Chris in fall of 2010 with our finished, mixed and mastered album and he said he would like to release it.
THKD: Subrosa is two thirds female. What challenges, if any, do women face in the metal scene? Does the “boys club” mentality of heavy music still exist?
RV: I think women who write and perform heavy music are actually generally respected in the metal scene, even though they are in the minority.
I think one of the biggest challenges women face in the metal scene is the lazy trap of using one’s sexuality to sell or promote your music. It’s a false shortcut.
THKD: Subrosa hails from Salt Lake City, Utah. What is the metal scene like there? Do you get much local support?
RV: It was kind of in a slump, but is coming out of it now. Most of the heavy bands know each other and support each other. We get a lot of support from SLUG Magazine, City Weekly, KRCL and other media outlets that give us air time and exposure. The alternative media outlets in Salt Lake City really support the local scene.
THKD: Salt Lake City is the headquarters of the LDS Church and the hub of Mormonism. How does the religious/political/social climate of the city effect your lives as metal musicians and the scene, if at all?
RV: It has influenced us greatly. The conservative dominant culture has resulted in a thriving counterculture here. There is a certain sincerity in the music the bands in SLC create … writing and performing music is a need, not a luxury.
THKD: Are there any other prominent Salt Lake City bands we should be listening to? Do you have any recommendations for our readers?
RV: Yes … Gaza toured Europe with Converge last summer and I think are touring again with them this year. They are on Black Market Activities and are one of the most brutal bands you’ll ever hear or see. Eagle Twin is on Southern Lord and are touring Australia with Unearthly Trance right now. They toured with Sunn O))) last year. Bird Eater is also on Black Market, Iota is a stoner delight on Small Stone, although lead singer Joey Toscano has set Iota aside and started The Dwellers with Subrosa bassist Dave Jones and Subrosa drummer Zach Hatsis. Gravecode Nebula and IX Zealot offer great black metal, and INVDRS take the cake as loudest band in SLC, on Corruption Recordings in Oregon. Top Dead Celebrity and Old Timer (Subrosa’s bassist Dave’s third band) are great to watch live.
THKD: What are you currently listening to? What books are you reading?
RV: I’ve been playing The Cure’s Disintegration, along with Agalloch’s new record, Marrow of the Spirit. I’m reading a book called UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials go on the Record, by Leslie Kean, and trying to finish The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology, by Ray Kurzweil.
THKD: Will you be playing any shows or doing any touring in support of No Help for the Mighty Ones?
RV: Yes, there are some tour plans in the works, but nothing has been decided yet. We’d really like to go to Europe. Stay tuned!
THKD: What does the rest of 2011 have in store for Subrosa?
RV: Touring, and I am going to start writing new songs with Sarah starting this week, hopefully. It’s high time we starting writing music for the next album.
THKD: Are there any final thoughts you’d like to add?
RV: Thanks for the interview! I think it’s commendable that you run a webzine all by yourself.
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!
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.
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”
Canada has always had an extremely fertile metal scene. However, few if any of the legions of bands hailing from the Great White North are capable of unleashing the level of musical devastation that Weapon effortlessly conjures forth on their sophomore album, From The Devil’s Tomb (Ajna/Agonia, 2010). Sure, their Drakonian Paradigm debut was a blistering mix of black metal, thrash and death, but From the Devil’s Tomb ups the ante in all respects; heavier, gnarlier and more complex than it’s predecessor, it is the sound of a band hitting their stride and finding their sound. I contacted Weapon guitarist/vocalist Vetis Monarch via e-mail to discuss the new album, the nature of Satan, and other arcane subjects.
THKD: Tell us about the circumstances surrounding the creation of From the Devil’s Tomb. How has the band evolved since Drakonian Paradigm?
Vetis Monarch: With the elimination of my heroin addiction, and the accumulation of a stable line-up, things finally started to happen for Weapon. Forget the glamorous clichés of the druggie lifestyle – it does NOT work if you want to be in a functioning band.
We are very proud of ‘Drakonian Paradigm’ the album, but have qualms surrounding its release. The production lacks power; the distribution wasn’t far-reaching enough; and of course, at least one of the people involved in the band at that time was perhaps never meant to be in Weapon. All of those things affect our opinions regarding that album.
Most of ‘From The Devil’s Tomb’ was created in 2009. The Disciple (percussion) and I had very clear ideas regarding what we wanted this album to sound like; the mistakes made on previous releases would not be repeated and we made sure that every aspect of this album was indeed up to our standards; Kha Tumos (bass) and Apostle VIII (lead guitar) were the missing pieces of that puzzle.
THKD: Where was From the Devil’s Tomb recorded? How would you describe the experience of laying these songs to tape?
VM: It was recorded / mixed / mastered at Sound Extractor Studio in Edmonton, Canada. We basically spent most of our waking ours there from March to April 2010. The producer (Stew Kirkwood) is a good friend of ours and works well with our combined eccentricities, so to speak. He isn’t a ‘metal guy’ by any means but has a vast musical palette to be able to accommodate just about every genre of music. Plus, we already had experience working with him during the mastering process of ‘Drakonian Paradigm’ so he was well aware of what we were / weren’t looking for in terms of production. We all knew that this was going to be a very special album.
The recording process itself was quite standard – percussion, then guitars, followed by bass and then vocals – yet it all fell into place with little to no difficulty. This was also Apostle VIII’s first time in a professional studio but he came in very well-prepared and laid down his rhythm and lead tracks like a total pro. All in all it was a fantastic experience.
THKD: From the Devil’s Tomb brings a stronger death metal influence to Weapon’s sound and the album as a whole is much heavier. Was this stylistic shift intentional?
VM: As much as we don’t try and control our sound too much, we were definitely aware that the DM foundation of the band was emerging more and more as we were working on the album. It wasn’t intentional but we also didn’t shy away from this ‘change’; this stylistic shift, as you put it, was actually very organic and seamless. Besides, for people in our age group, real Black and Death Metal are but two sides of the same coin.
THKD: For From the Devil’s Tomb, you once again enlisted Benjamin A. Vierling to create the cover art. What does his artwork bring to Weapon? What does the cover represent?
VM: The union of great music, great art and great literature is very important to us. Of course, said greatness is subjective, but as far as we are concerned, Benjamin Vierling is one of the few artists of this era who is capable of illustrating in colors and shapes what Weapon conjures via music and words. I’ve said this before and I will say it again – Mr. Vierling is a modern-day master.
‘From The Devil’s Tomb’ image actually incorporates several iconic motifs from the major arcana of the Tarot, including: The Devil, The Tower, The Last Judgment, The Hanged Man, and to a lesser degree, Death, and The World.
Benjamin decided to elaborate on the ‘as above so below’ maxim to greater effect, incorporating archaic icons for the ascent and the descent into one image – which to my knowledge has never been done effectively. We don’t wish to over-explain the particulars, because the composition should really speak for itself, but the inverted figure of the hanged man with eviscerated bowels obviously mirrors traditional crucifixion motifs. He also forms the inverted Algiz rune; like Odin, the self-sacrifice that he offers is not for mankind, but for his own gnosis. Weapon doesn’t directly reference the Norse mythos, but Mr. Vierling has woven several traditions into this image. Furthermore, an inverted crucifixion is always suitable iconography for spiritual self-immolation!
The ascending, multi-limbed, wrathful-deity figure evokes Shiva the Destroyer, and well as Goddess of Death Kali, and even Baphomet; an eclectic synthesis here! To the left the sky is raining blood, to the right, a storm of lightning. The heraldic angels have black wings and empty eyes. Both the ascending Daemon, and the descending Son, are grounded by the flaming wheel of destiny- the rotating cosmos; note that this also forms the pupil of the eye of the nimbus. The nimbus is simultaneously the third eye of gnosis, the Ajna chakra, and the gaping vulva of creation & oblivion. Naturally, it is crimson.
The guardians of the subterranean kingdom – the Devil’s tomb – are a vulture and wolf-headed sentinel, and in the towers, a fly and a worm. In the background is a coiling abstraction of serpents; the spears held by the sentinels penetrate into the inner strata of the nimbus-eye-wheel.
All that being said, one could stare at this piece for hours on end and find hidden messages many times over.
THKD: Weapon has gone through some lineup changes since Drakonian Paradigm. How did this affect/change the band? Is the current lineup stable?
VM: The line-up of the band for the past 2.5 years has been the most stable one in the band’s 8-year history. Of course, this can be attributed to the fact that the current members share the same vision of success, we get along well and most importantly, we share the same musical and spiritual interests.
The removal of the 2 members from the ‘Drakonian Paradigm’ lineup was inevitable; the guitarist lived in another city 3 hours away, and the bassist wasn’t up to par musically with the rest of us – a lot of talk but no follow-through; so, we have absolutely no regrets with those decisions. This change has made us stronger, more focused and far more determined to succeed than ever before.
THKD: Describe Weapon’s approach to songwriting/composition. Do you compose material alone or together with the other members?
VM: Most of the time I compose material alone and then the whole band works together on arranging the songs up to their completion. Apostle VIII and myself have been writing together in recent times, but I still find it most comfortable to compose by myself.
The lyrical part is entirely up to me, although I do bounce thematic ideas back and forth with the crew. We are all involved – at some level or another – in every aspect of the band.
THKD: You are originally from Bangladesh. How does your heritage influence what you do with Weapon? Does the traditional music of that region inform your approach to playing metal in any way?
VM: If by heritage you mean Bengali culture, it has little to no influence at all on what I am doing with Weapon. Nationalism, patriotism, solidarity etc mean nothing to me. Evil has no boundaries and borders are fucking useless.
Eastern art forms inspire me profoundly. I have no classical training in music, but the pulse and scales of eastern music are ingrained in me; The Disciple is also very embracing of eastern percussion. However, these are subtle, subconscious influences; Weapon is a metal band above all. We have no intentions of becoming a gimmick band with a penchant for exploiting ‘exotic’ instrumentation just to stand out from the crowd.
THKD: In addition to anti-Christian lyrical themes, Weapon is unafraid to express anti-Islamic sentiments. Is this a direct result of your background/up-bringing? Do you think other bands are afraid to tackle Islam?
VM: If a band has no first-hand experience of dealing with something, they shouldn’t write songs about the subject in question. Most European / North American people playing this kind of music only know Islam through the mainstream media; it’s unlikely that they have ever even conversed in-depth with a (practicing) Muslim, much less have a direct problem with one on a personal level. I spent a large part of my life around those people and speak from personal experiences.
I can’t comment on other bands’ fear of Islam, but perhaps they feel threatened by Muslim fundamentalism? After all, say what you will about those dirty Muslims, I don’t think that anyone in their right mind can deny that those militant fundamentalists do walk the talk.
THKD: I’ve been asking this of many bands with a satanic message of late. What does Satan mean to you? How does Satanism influence Weapon’s music?
VM: Satanism influences everything in my life and in Weapon. What does it mean to me? Satan is knowledge and power, manipulating the cosmos, lawless existence and unbound freedom. Satanism is embracing all that is rejected by the ‘civilized world’, and improving the Self; attaining total enlightenment. Satan is the physical / spiritual manifestation of the being and becoming.
THKD: Can you talk a little about the themes derived from Eastern religions/philosophies crop up in Weapon’s music? How do they intertwine with the satanic side of Weapon?
VM: What / who we are referring to as Satan, is in fact prevalent in several Eastern religions / philosophies. We study the dark/destructive aspects of those traditions – Shiva & Kali, Aghora, Iblis cults, Mesopotamian daemonology and several other disciplines. The dark current runs in countless veins under different semblances.
THKD: There are several references to the trishul, which is a Hindu religious symbol. What is its significance in the context of Weapon?
VM: The trishul / trident (which means ‘three spear) was wielded by Shiva, Poseidon and Neptune; all 3 deities used this archaic weapon as a means of destruction of cataclysmic proportions. As the weapon of Shiva, it destroys the three worlds – the physical world, the world of the forefathers, and the world of the mind. Weapon gives praise to this in that the Trishul was the choice of Shiva (Lucifer) for awakening the caustic eye.
THKD: Your current country of Canada has a stellar metal tradition from Voivod to Blasphemy. How do your surroundings influence your approach music?
VM: Canada’s overall metal map is nothing short of spectacular; but as far as Weapon is concerned we are inspired by the likes Blasphemy, Disciples of Power, Gorguts etc. We aren’t very inspired by our current surroundings, except maybe for the fact that we want nothing to do with that war metal scene that tends to be associated with Western Canada. Newer bands like A.M.S.G., Mitochondrion, Augury, Gyibaaw etc are very interesting to my ears.
THKD: Will you be playing live in support of From the Devil’s Tomb? How would you describe the Weapon live experience to someone who hasn’t seen you?
VM: We already have played live in support of ‘From The Devil’s Tomb’ and shall continue to do so. Our live performances can be described as a complete and utter assault on all the senses – a well-oiled machine that is primal, raw and blunt! There are no subtleties, no pretences of politeness. Weapon live is the synthesis of all the elements of the Left Hand Path.
THKD: Are there any final thoughts you’d like to add?
VM: Buy our albums, don’t download them; come see us perform live and get soul-raped in the process.
What’s that you say? You’ve never heard of Aanal Beehemoth?! Actually, I’m not surprised. Their sole album, 2008′s excellent Forest Paranoid, flew largely under the radar, garnering very little coverage in spite of its filthy, blackened punk brilliance. That year, I interviewed the band for my Dethroned Emperor column at the now-defunct Sonic Frontiers website, and named Forest Paranoid as one of my favorite albums of 2008.
But where are they now? The last time I got an e-mail from Aanal Beehemoth, they promised me that they were working on a second/final album called Nekropunk, and sent me an mp3 that sounded like someone farting through some effects boxes. That was at least two years ago. I recently tried to e-mail them, but this time got no response. I contacted Suffering Jesus Productions, and they advised me that one of the members of Aanal Beehemoth had joined a pop punk band (I refuse to include a link to said band because it just bums me out).
Aanal Behemoth may have been a joke, but if that’s the case then I guess the joke was (and still is) on me. I enjoy the hell out of Forest Paranoid, regardless of how un-kvlt it might be. So without further ado, I present my interview with Deathly Fightar and Crazy Bomber, just as it appeared at Sonic Frontiers.
From Satanic Warmaster to Sargeist to Circle of Ouroborus, Finland is far from lacking when it comes to producing black metal that is filthy, fucked up, and utterly unique. But the country’s weirdest export might just be the self-described “nekro punk” practitioners of Aanal Beehemoth. Comprised of principal members Crazy Bomber and Deathly Fightar, the band sounds like nothing short of Darkthrone doing heroin in a scum-ridden Detroit back-alley with The Stooges.
Sure, many bands out there of late have developed an interest in combining black metal with elements of ’60s psychedelia, but Aanal Beehemoth takes a different approach, eschewing hallucinogenic drug-addled atmosphere in favor another aspect of that era’s music, the rough and tumble proto punk frenzy of bands like the aforementioned Stooges, The MC5 or the New York Dolls. By mixing snotty attitude with a seriously dark and grimy sound, the Finnish duo accomplish something that ninety-nine percent of black metal bands aren’t capable of. Quite simply, Aanal Beehemoth rocks.
Desperately wanting to find out more about this unholy duo’s rancid cocktail of blackened garage filth, I sought them out via that stronghold of true grimness known as myspace. To be honest I am not sure whether it was Crazy Bomber or Deathly Fightar (or both?) that answered this e-mail interrogation, hence all answers are attributed simply to Aanal Beehemoth.
Josh Haun: For readers who might not be familiar, how did Aanal Beehemoth form? What were your intentions in starting the band?
Aanal Beehemoth: To put end to this over-aged teenagers’ boredom and make a couple of moist kult recordings. Basically we are form of Satan, reflection of hell. We started out playing sizzling hot and exciting jam sessions at a poltergeist apartment and ghouls came and everybody got a brain damage now.
JH: The band’s name sounds like a mash-up of Anaal Nathrakh and Behemoth. Is this at all accurate of am I way off the mark?
AxB: Never heard of ‘em. We just wanted a name which best describes our sound, feeling and attitude. AxB was the nastiest and meanest of them all. Total berserk! Satan ge mig få makt!
JH: Is Aanal Beehemoth a black metal band?
AxB: It depend on who is asking. If it was some true hotpants neo-nazi penguin molo who’s offering his piss filled Suki Suki to me, we’d have to say NO thanks – we’re not. But that doesn’t mean we’re pussies ‘cos we are Aanal, the most bueno, the Most Evil shit. Aanal is more like evil influenced psychotropic pseudo-music. Yep… that’s it and no thanks. We’re nekro punk garage helvete straight from the forest.
JH: What were the circumstances surrounding the writing and recording of your debut album, Forest Paranoid?
AxB: At the time we were poor students, we dug up food from garbage cans and ate lichen and berries from the woods and swamps. Unfortunately we didn’t have money for a real studio so we had to do everything with old aanalog 4-track tape recorder and two crappy microphones. We recorded all that stuff right to the cassette tape in one short day. Self made fuzz boxes and guitars gave us total killerbee tone. Most of the songs and Krazy Bömber’s exorcism were improvised.
JH: What made you decide to offer Forest Paranoid as a free download?
AxB: Why poor people cannot enjoy good shit for free? We are not in it for money or shiny bollox stardom. This is total True Nekro and it is our mission to spread Satan’s bottomless well of glory to all the apes and shits out there and internet is good for that. We would do it from door to door like mormons or some other maniacs but we got no bicycle helmets or golden submarine.
JH: You’re also planning to release Forest Paranoid on CD through Suffering Jesus. Are you at all worried that no one will buy the CD since its been available as a free download for so long?
AxB: Not worried ‘cos it sounds better on the official piece of plastic and the covers look totally professional big buck production. Hardest wankers, biggest perverts and record collectors like Mary of Suffering Jesus can buy two copies of the cd and masturbate over the shrinkwrapped one many times during nocturnal satanic rituals keeping the other one safe from bodyfluids.
JH: What is your relationship with the Finnish black metal scene?
AxB: We don’t care about that posse just like we don’t care about anyone else’s gangbanging circlejerkers and holos. We don’t do anything vegan-atheists wouldn’t do, except worship evil. Aanal enjoy chrystals and respect from the Belzebub himself. Bigtime!
JH: Your sound has strong black metal elements, but I also detect ’60 garage rock and proto-punk influences such as the Stooges. Do you find those types of bands inspiring?
AxB: Hell yeah! Beside the usual krustpunk misery we’re digging that kind of music unlike some lame Hair-y-pussy-Metal. Dragonwankers and leather losers can come out of their closets and throw their plastic hammers and swords right back to the toybox. The Sonics, the Stooges and 60′s punk like that rules. We just keepin’ it cool.
JH: According your bio, Forest Paranoid was recorded back in October 2007. Have you been working on any new material?
AxB: Yes! We just recorded a whole bunch of new originals with new slaves at a session named Nekro Punk. This time Deathly Fightär gave drum duties to Kola Hoover and moved himself to banging the guitar. Hård Kikkelson joined on bass and Crazy Bömber did the nekro spelling and lost his mind on guitar. This one’s gonna be very snotty and groovy total garagerockmayhem. Also this hard hitting ass punisher will be available to all the maggots out there as soon as it’s ready.
JH: Is Aanal Beehemoth a live band? Will you be playing any shows in support of the album?
AxB: Yeah, we gonna do some shows with Kola & Hård and some other knarkars when the Forest Paranoid is out. Vi rider med svin sexhundrasextiosex kilometer per timma och sniffa en illuktande fjärt från cyckling rumpa. Oujee. Keep on rocking!!! Hiivavittu
You can check out samples of Forest Paranoid and find links to download the album in its entirey via the band’s official myspace (http://www.myspace.com/aanalbeehemoth). The plastic version should be out sometime this Fall on Suffering Jesus Productions.
Well it’s that time of year where things slow down considerably for me in the writing department. I typically like to take things easy around the holidays in order to spend time with family and get all the assorted nonsense that comes with the season squared away. So, you probably won’t be seeing much new content here at the THKD bunker between now and the first week of January, when I unleash the THKD TOP 20 METAL ALBUMS OF 2010 extravaganza. I know a lot of other sites are already putting up their top albums lists and such, but for me personally, it ain’t over ’til it’s over, as Yogi Berra once said. I don’t like to publish my reflections on the year until that year has actually ended. Besides, there’s always a chance that Satan Claws could put an awesome album in my stocking that totally changes the year-end rankings.
With that said, if you have sent me an album to review recently, please be patient. Between the holiday headaches and THKD’s mammoth year-end post, I am quite busy at the moment. But if I have promised you a review, I am a man of my word and will definitely get one.
In what can only be called shameless self promotion of the worst possible kind, I’d like to encourage everyone to check out the THKD facebook page. In the past I had only been using it to put up links to my reviews and such here at THKD, but I’ve decided that there is a lot more that can be done with the facebook platform. This means that I will be using the THKD FB page to post links to metal-related news that I find interesting, cool bands I have discovered that may or may not be seeing a write-up here and plenty of other random thoughts and musings about metal that don’t necessarily warrant a full-on post at the THKD site proper. There is also a discussion board there, so feel free to start up a topic about what you’d like to see on THKD, tips on cools bands I should be checking out, how badly you think my writing sucks, etc. Whatever your little black hearts desire.
Now is also a good time to note that I will no longer be updating the THKD myspace page. As some of you may know, myspace recently went through a re-design that has rendered the site virtually unusable. I don’t have the patience to deal with the shitfest that myspace has become, so if you’re a myspace friend of THKD, you might as well hop on the FB bandwagon.
Looking forward to the impending New Year, THKD already has a lot on tap. I’m waiting on fresh interviews from Norwegian bizarro black metal practitioner Furze and Italian crust-metal road warriors Children of Technology. I’ve also got reviews and write-ups in the pipeline featuring Wrnlrd, Sabre, Ghost and Kylesa. I’m also very excited to talk about 2011′s first truly great death metal album, Mitochondrion’s Parasignosis.
So, although THKD is experiencing a bit of a Holiday hangover, keep watching this space for a lot of rad new content, coming sooner than you think!
There are many metal bands out there claiming to tap into mystical, esoteric energies. But how many actually conjure that feeling within the listener? How many bands successfully fill your ears with that sense of unnameable crawling cosmic chaos that HP Lovecraft so easily invoked on the printed page, that feeling that can only be described as “the occult”? Australian death metal trio StarGazer is one of those bands. Their sound is mesmerizing; the music is technical and progressive without ever forgetting the importance of the song. Listening to their latest album, A Great Work of Ages / A Work of Great Ages (Profound Lore, 2010) feels like unearthing some obscure musical grimoire that had been previously lost to the sands of antiquity. I contacted guitarist/vocalist The Serpent Inquisitor to discuss the inner workings of StarGazer and various arcane subjects.
THKD: It has been five years since the last StarGazer full length. Why the long wait between albums?
The Serpent Inquisitor: There had been many hurdles in the intervening years. Initially there was the training of the new drummer, Selenium, towards local, national and a Japanese tour. The onus had been then set on finding a new record label whom would believe and support the band, which was achieved with the empirical Profound Lore Productions. Lastly, as an album that had incubated so long had to be mediated correctly, a thorough amount of time was drafted to all aspects of the package.
THKD: How did you come to release A Great Work of Ages on Profound Lore? Were you a fan of the label beforehand?
TSI: Yes. We were fans of the label and vice versa. Profound Lore harbor a slew of unique bands and seems to love them all like their little children.
THKD: How do you think the band has progressed since The Scream that Tore the Sky and how was this progression incorporated into A Great Work of Ages?
TSI: Whether StarGazer has progressed or not is a curious question. Our songs progress in myriad ways. One man’s progression is another man’s regression. I believe we have captured the ubiquitous nature of the band on this new album more obviously than the last. Half of the songs are old enough to have been on our debut too. The 3rd album will no doubt stunt expectations of progression further. That would be the aim anyway!
THKD: How would you describe your songwriting/compositional approach? Is it a group effort or does the band have a “main composer”?
TSI: I am the primary composer, inasmuch as the crux of the song (guitars/lyrics/some drumming etc), but the group melds them to varying degrees. All bass lines are written by T.G.R.D, and as the listener knows, they are paramount to the overall feel of every song.
THKD: You recorded/produced A Great Work of Ages yourselves. What made you decide to do this and are you pleased with the results?
TSI: Should we be pleased with the results? T.G.R.D is an experienced engineer so the bulk of the technical work was adopted by his hands and ears. He and I were the producers, with the drummer stepping in with advice hither and thither.
THKD: What are some of the lyrical themes explored on A Great Work of Ages? Where do you draw your inspiration from?
TSI: Dimensional Apocalypse, Inner Earth Races, Harmonic Nature, the Karma and Magic of Thought, a Myth of Race Origin and the Serpents, Demons, Multi-dimensionality of the Hue-Man, Ley Lines and Conjunctions empowering Portals.
As the album goes, the subjects are in that order.
Everything, and I mean everything drives my inspirations. How can it be any one, or even a few things, when so many things are interconnected?
THKD: What does “the occult” mean to you? How does your interpretation of the occult inform StarGazer’s music?
TSI: The occult is obscuration, both to the benefit and detriment to the hue-man condition. The correct definition of the occult is supposedly ‘the secret origin of mankind’. Now, the history of the race of man has been obscured and certain ‘theological’ sects hide this for the particularly ‘initiated’. Would we, as a race benefit from the privation of our true and aeon spanning heritage? Probably. Would it suit vested financial, spiritual, media, financial interests (all interconnected mind you)? Definitely not.
The human race is enslaved and that’s how it is desired it should stay. Freedom is a finer goal to strive for. Enlightenment and wisdom is freedom. Freedom of unaffected Thought, unaffected Will, unaffected Love.
That is the True Occult.
THKD: StarGazer’s music is quite technical and progressive, but also sounds very earthy and organic. Is it difficult to keep such complex music emotive and engaging for the listener?
TSI: We aren’t writing ‘for the listener’ so I would say that when we are no longer achieving those tenets, then it has become hard!! What you have just asked defines our approach to the music well.
THKD: With that said, why do you think so much modern technical metal comes off as clinical and soulless?
TSI: I understand what you infer and I believe it relates to a lack of ‘song’. There were plenty of technical bands from the 70’s (and let’s not forget classical, latin, and jazz; all technical as fuck!), whom were careful to write ‘songs’. I don’t know how else to frame this. The studio productions are also cold aren’t they? When drums are triggered, guitars overproduced and there is no room made for integrating frequencies, then where to go??
THKD: Are you at all influenced by the “classic” technical death metal bands such as Atheist and Cynic? What about the progressive rock of the 1970s?
TSI: Not just technical death metal bands, but technical rock, heavy metal, speed metal etc. What modern band is more extreme than WatchTower’s ‘Control and Resistance’?? Not every bit of StarGazer is brazenly technical, we just procure ideas that are somewhat unexplored in the modern metal scene.
I listened to the Cynic demos in High School, not a fan of the albums though. Atheist, well, deathrash masters unbridled!!! Progressive rock I enjoy to a degree, mostly a handful of select albums by select bands.
THKD: What can you tell us about the album art? What is the significance of the nautilus shells and the dragons/hydras?
TSI: Being a prime representation of the Golden Mean, the nautilus represents the logistics of our immediate creation and materiality. The Hydrae personify the obscuration, it’s 7 maws devouring truth and synergy.
THKD: The full title of the album is A Great Work of Ages / A Work of Great Ages. Can you explain the meaning/meanings behind it?
TSI: ‘A Great Work of Ages’ was originally the sole title. It’s reference is two-fold without resorting to any dualistic concepts. It implies the enfeebling, misleading and subsequent enslavement of our known human race. The second title denotes this album to be a tribute and attribute to a greater age to come.
THKD: There is a quote from Francis Bacon on your myspace page: “He That Will Not Apply New Remedies Must Expect New Evils; For Time Is The Greatest Innovator”. What does this quotation mean to you and how does it tie into StarGazer?
TSI: The beauty of quotes like that above is that it generally means much the same to everyone whom resonates to its premise. I understand it as you understand it, that is why it could be considered ‘profound’.
Francis Bacon also had some interesting ties to various cults/groups, so his words could hide or infer something more. Time is not on our side; all truths are concurrently being raked like a Japanese stone garden, to whatever patterns the rake-wielder deigns. As time wears on, these truths will become completely lost and enslavement complete.
THKD: Do you have any touring plans for A Great Work of Ages?
TSI: We would have it so. There will be shows initially within Australia and further into time, overseas. Where we tour will depend largely on whom could raise their hands to aide in structuring said events.
THKD: Are there any final thoughts you’d like to add?
TSI: I don’t like hip-hop, I don’t dance and I don’t offer final words.
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…
