Alex Bruder Des Lichts

I’ve been listening to what I call “Dark Dungeon music” since Mortiis first left Emperor, anyone who tries to tell you that Dark Synth music is not part of Black metal has never heard of Burzum… this week I talk to some of the best of the new breed of Dungeon Synth artists – first up is Spectral Kingdom – read on.

* So how did you become Spectral Kingdom? Tell us a little history about the act
I was given some old recording equipment by a friend and decided to put it to use. I’ve been a fan of dungeon synth for awhile so I had a pretty clear idea of what I wanted to do from the beginning.

* You are based in Virginia right? I imagine you live out in the woods somewhere – where the nearest neighbor is a good 5 minute drive from you – please don’t spoil it by telling me that you live in the suburbs or downtown Richmond?
I won’t ruin it for you then haha.

* Speaking of Richmond are you involved in the local music scene at all? Richmond has had a great music scene since the Gwar days if you ask me. I have my theories but why do you think a city of that size has such a healthy scene?
Richmond is home to a ton of very dedicated individuals who keep things moving. Booking shows, starting bands, going to shows, making zines, etc. Staying active in the community. To me, that matters a lot. It’s also one of the only major cities in a very rural state so that probably has some influence on population density.

* Did you play in any bands (metal or otherwise) before you became Spectral Kingdom?
I currently play in a death metal band and have been involved with various black/death metal projects over the years.

“I’m self taught. Keeping my set up simple enables me to go slowly and play around until I find what works for the song”

* Have you had any formal piano training before doing this ? or are you all self taught?
Nope I’m self taught. Keeping my set up simple enables me to go slowly and play around until I find what works for the song. I have a basic knowledge of chord structures but when it comes down to writing I find that the logical next steps are easy to find if your patient. If you sit there long enough you’ll eventually find those notes.

* What’s your recording set up like?
That I’m afraid I cannot answer! Secrets of the trade.

* How did you get into home recording? What was your learning curve like?
This is the first project I’ve recorded. It wasn’t too hard, but I’m lucky to have a few friends that have studios of their own, so whenever I ran into a problem I could just give them a call. There are also tons of informative videos on the internet that I found helpful.

* Have you any plans to play live shows? I remember seeing Mortiis play live in 1999 – he played to a backing tape and acting out parts of his songs to fit the mood. It was great
I have no plans to perform live with Spectral Kingdom and I don’t expect that to change. I don’t think what I do would work well in a live setting. It’s killer you got to see Mortiis though!

“Diamanda Galas is a big influence on this project.”

* What inspires you to create?  Which bands or films?
Diamanda Galas is a big influence on this project. She creates an insane atmosphere for her art. Max Ritcher is another. Very simple elegant stuff. Of course there is the black metal influence. In general I feel inspired to write more from internal things than external, at least for Spectral Kingdom.

* What bands are you listening to right now that continue to amaze you?
Dead Congregation’s latest output blew me away. Caveman Cult from Florida came through recently and played two killer shows. Blood Incantation. Antichrist Siege Machine. This list could go on forever so I’ll leave it at that.

* You are pretty prolific with your releases – what can we expect next from Spectral Kingdom?
A cassette release of “II”, the latest offering, should be available soon the Path of Silence label. Beyond that, I hope to have a new tape out closer to the end of the year, maybe sooner if all goes well. There is also a split that I have recently finished, but I do not know when that will be available.

* Any final words?
Thank you for the interview.

Today I spoke with Brian from Xibalba (pronounced shi-bal-buh) we talked about their new 7″ on Closed Casket Records, growing up in Pomona and Brooklyn NY being their 2nd home! read on.

* First off congrats on the the new release, what made you guys go for a 7″ release versus a full album this time around?

Thank you thank you! Well, we started writing a full length but only had a handful of songs when we thought it’d be cool to have at something for our 10 year anniversary. We recorded 3 songs that we felt were finished, with Taylor Young at the Pit Studios and he told us Closed Casket would be interested in putting it out. We’ve put out a few splits on CCA before in between full lengths, so it made sense. Justin from CCA hit us up and made it happen. We’re stoked on how everything came out. Closed Casket is a great label.

* How would you guys describe the progression you guys made from your 2015 album to these new songs?
I wouldn’t say there’s not too much progression honestly. Well, we did write two songs that are under 5 minutes between the two. If you know us, that’s way out of our character haha. We did try a few things in regards to structuring songs, I guess you could call that shit progressive.

* You guys got a great sound what do you down tune to? What gear does everyone favor to get that low bottom end but still come across with such clarity?
We’re tuned to A standard. That’s mostly Taylor when he records us. Me and him will discuss a tone that we have in mind before hand but at the same time keeping it in line with our low tone that gives us our sound. When tracking we use Marshall, Sunn, Peavy and mesa amps, I believe. But live we usually just use Peavy 5150/6505 amps. Not sure what drums Jason uses but they nice though.

“At one point we were all living in the same housing project together.”

* You’ve been around for about 10 years now right? What’s the secret to keeping it all together (most bands these days don’t last more than 5 years)
Yea, 10 fuckin years with these fucks. Honestly the key to it is friendship. We’ve been friends for over 10 years. We all knew each other before Xibalba. At one point we were all living in the same housing project together. We’ve all been close and remain close. As cheesy as it sounds, this is some real life brotherhood shit. My family loves the guys and their families love us. We’re pretty much family at this point.

* You guys play a nice mix of HC meets death metal – do you guys consider yourselves a HC band or a DM band?
I mean, we’re definitely a mixture or hybrid of the two. But regardless we love both and it shows in our music.

“I loved the brutality of death metal, the groove of hardcore specifically NYHC”

* What were your musical influences coming up? I can definitely hear some classic death metal influences in there (Morbid Angel, Obituary etc)
Oh most definitely, two of my favorites! When we started it was death metal, 90’s hardcore, Crowbar and lots of Sepultura. I loved the brutality of death metal, the groove of hardcore (specifically NYHC) and the soul/passion of doom metal.

* You guys are based up in Pomona right? Are you all born and raised there? I’ve only been there once for a couple of days – but I liked what I saw – you are close enough to LA if you need to be there but seem to have all the advantages of small town living too. Seems like there are some decent size venues too and I am sure a lot of National touring acts hit there too (like the best of both worlds)
Yes, me and Jensen grew up in Pomona and everyone one else is from the surrounding area. Now we’re spread all over Southern California/L.A. area. I love Pomona, it’s home. There is a few good venues here that get lots of big bands and a few years back Nate booked at a place here too.

* Speaking of National touring have you done any yet? or just regional shows?
We’ve done the touring things for years, been all over the world s few times over but don’t do it much anymore due work.

* Have any of the band visited NYC before? If so what did you guys think?
Most definitely, we’ve played there many times. Brooklyn is like our second home. Our original bassist lives there now. I love NYC. I know the guys in the band love it too.

* What’s been the best show you guys have played to date and why?
That’s a tough one. We’ve played so many great shows. One that sticks out in my mind is our last Brooklyn show we did for the record release/10 year anniversary, it was violent, fun and a lot of friends were there. Same with our LA/Pomona shows. It was fun.

* What sort of crowds do you draw is it mainly hardcore kids? or mainly metal kids? Which do you prefer? Back in the early 80’s metal crowds stuck to metal and punk kids to punk shows..it wasn’t till bands like Suicidal tendencies, Corrosion of Conformity and DRI started “crossing over” was it ok to admit to liking both hardcore punk and metal.
Our crowds are mainly hardcore kids and some metal heads. It doesn’t matter to me in regards to preference. Everyone is there for the same reason, to have fun and get their ass kicked.

* What does the name Xibalba mean? (I know its Mayan for “place of fear”) And what’s the correct pronunciation?
Correct, it means “Place of Fear”. It’s pronounced shi-bal-buh.

* You guys are well known for your pride in your Latin heritage – have you played any countries in Central or south America yet? If so what’s been your favorites and what countries would you love to play and why??
We’ve played Mexico, all of Central America. Not South America, yet. Hopefully that changes soon though.

* What can we expect from Xibalba in 2017?
We don’t have much planned. We have Sound at Fury fest in June, then after that we have some shows here and there around the globe. Other then that, we’re going to be writing for a full length.

* Any final words?
Thank you to everyone for the last 10 years of support and to everyone that is just discovering us. Pick up our new EP via Closed Casket Activities. Thank you for the interview! One love baby.

Today I spoke with guitarist Benjamin Guerry from the French band The Great Old Ones, we spoke about the legendary H.P. Lovecraft, The cancer of organized religion and how nice English people are..read on!

* Hi Benjamin, loving your new album EOD: A Tale of Dark Legacy – how long were you guys working on this album before you went in to record?
Benjamin Guerry (guitar, vocals): Hi! The composition work began just after the recording of our second album, “Tekeli-li”. It’s important to keep our head aware to ideas that can happen whenever. I spent more time composing this album because there is always a desire to make our music evolve.

* How did the recording process differ from your last 2 releases?
BG: The only difference was that we changed producer. We recorded this album with Mobo at Conkrete Studio, and the result is exactly as we wanted, very powerful, but with the atmospheres that characterize us.

* How did your record deal with Seasons of Mist come about? It’s a great label for you guys to be part of.
BG: Yes, we are very happy of that. After a tour with Shining, the Season of Mist boss has expressed interest in working with us. So we seized this opportunity, in order to offer our album a greater visibility, in Europe, but also in USA. We really hope that this collaboration will help us to play in as many countries as possible!

* What was the fans reaction to your Bjork cover like? Do you know if Bjork heard it at all? Her ex-husband artist Mathew Barney is a huge Black metal fan and has hosted many Black metal shows at his art studio here in NYC
BG: I don’t know if Bjork listened to our cover but I hope! Maybe Mathew Barney made her listen. The original song has a dramatic tension that sticks to our music. We did not expect this but this cover has made a lot of talk about it, our fans still tell us about it today.

“We are working hard to propose a big show, a true Lovecraftian experience.”

* Do you guys prefer recording or playing live? many black metal musicians are quite happy just to create and record music but do not like to play live, whereas others..it’s all about playing live.
BG: We love playing live. Recording an album is of course very stimulating, as much as the creative process itself. But we are working hard to propose a big show, a true Lovecraftian experience. So yes, we want to play as much as possible, in as many places as possible!

* By now it is well know the bands love for the great Horror writer H.P. Lovecraft? Are any of the bands fans of say Edgar Allen Poe or more modern horror writers who were inspired by Lovecraft like Clive barker or Stephen King?
BG: H.P. Lovecraft is the base of The Great Old Ones concept. He is a full member of our band so he will be with us for a long time. He created an exciting mythology, populated by charismatic creatures. There are still many stories to tell.

But of course, we are all fans of literature in general. Personally, I’m a big fan of Stephen King.

His work is extremely varied and almost always exciting. I’m also really like Maxime Chattam’s books. Very good thrillers.

* France wasn’t exactly known for its world class Death metal bands in the 90s but it produces some of the best Black metal bands in the world these days – why do you think this is?
BG: It’s been a long time that France gives birth to very good bands of black metal, but it’s true that it has accelerated in recent years. The press is increasingly interested in our country in terms of music, and an international fame is beginning to take hold. It’s really great to see so many talented formations emerged every year here. I hope this will continue, and allow groups to continue to export, whether on album or live.

* You guys are from the South west of France right? What’s the music scene there like? Do you get many international artists coming through Bordeaux? or do you have to travel to say Toulouse or Montpellier to see the big name acts?
BG: Exactly, we are from Bordeaux, city of wine. There are a lot of good bands here, in different music styles. Certainly you know most of these bands but I think about Year Of No Light, Gorod in particular. They are very respected each in their style, and have a real international notoriety.

* Speaking of France – you guys have done a decent amount of touring so far right? What’s the best part of going on the road? Any crazy tour stories yet?
BG: We try to play as much as possible. As explained previously, doing concerts is really important to us. It is of course the concert itself that is always the most exciting on tour. But going on tour is also really nice because it allows to take a rhythm only dedicated to the music.

To be honest, I don’t have true crazy stories to tell you. But we had the opportunity to play in some crazy places. During the last tour, we played in a real and beautiful Italian style theater, with a fantastic acoustic. It was an absolutely fantastic experience!

* How did you guys enjoy London when you played there? Had you been before as a band or just as tourists?
BG: Every time we played in London it was great. English people are really nice. It’s also a very beautiful city, with very varied districts.

Most of us have been there as a tourist, but we always enjoy walking around before playing.

“Makes us realize that religious fanaticism is truly a cancer for the world today”

* One of the things we hear a lot about France on the news here in the USA are the terror attacks – are things there as crazy as the mainstream media makes out? Is it just sensationalism? or are things much worse?
BG: Mainstream media always do in sensationalism. This is unfortunately their way of functioning. But what they tell comes from real facts, and very sad facts. Of course, we do not live in fear. This especially makes us realize that religious fanaticism is truly a cancer for the world today. I would even be tempted to say all the organized religions. We must fight to keep our total freedom of expression, especially through music, and Art in general

“We would really like to come to concerts in the US”

* Any plans to play the USA in the future?
BG: We would really like to come to concerts in the US, and of course we have that idea in mind. But it is very difficult when one is an underground band to go play there, especially for financial matters. But we keep hope!

* What plans do the band have for the rest of 2017?
BG: We will open for Inquisition for two gigs in April, and some festivals in August. At the moment we are working on a big European tour. We hope to announce good news soon.

* Any final words?
BG: Many thanks for your support and for this interview. We really hope to come to the US!

Today I spoke with Shane from St Petersburg , Fl Atmospheric Black Metal band Set and Setting, we spoke about googling the band name, crooked cops in Bumfuck Mississippi and much more.

* So how did the band come about? Was it always the plan to be instrumental?
The band started as a recording project with a friend a long time ago. We found Mark Etherington to play drums, and the full band started then. It was not originally planned to be instrumental.

* Having 2 drummers definitely gives you guys that extra low end..how on earth did that even come to pass? (I’ve got 2 drummers in mind and I can’t decide which to go with, I know, we’ll use both!)
My brother (Stephen Handal) used to come to our practices and just hang out. One day we were just jamming around not playing our songs and he started playing a floor tom or something with Mark and it sounded rad so we tried it on one of our own songs. It quickly became a full drumset and a real position as our second drummer.

“I personally have had bad experiences with singers and yeah that definitely came to mind when we decided to just give up on having a singer.”

* Have any of the band ever been in bands before with singers? If so was that so traumatic that you guys decided to forgo one for Set and Setting?
Yeah every band we have ever been in has had a singer. Mark, one of our drummers, currently plays guitar and is the lead singer for his other band band. I personally have had bad experiences with singers and yeah that definitely came to mind when we decided to just give up on having a singer. The main issue was that we just couldn’t find one that we liked.

* Does the name have any deeper meaning or was it chosen just as its a cool name?
Google Set and Setting and you will find out really quickly haha. It’s a term with a meaning. I suggest people doing this with all band names. Usually band names are well thought out and not just a random selection of words. Not always though.

* What are the guys influences? You guys are from St Pete right? The whole Tampa bay metal scene was pretty much brutal death metal back in the 80s and 90s
We all have many different influences. The band started as a Pink Floyd worship band. Obviously that has changed a lot these days, but I think you can still see it. I love old school Tampa Death Metal and used to be in a death / thrash band a few years ago but we were all too young to really live through that (I was born in ’88). I don’t really think it has a direct influence on the band, but most of us listen to those bands still.

* Speaking of – how is the Tampa metal scene these days? Would you say better or worse than the old days?
The Tampa metal scene is pretty small comparatively speaking to major cities. Most of the heavy bands that are like minded, are friends and we all play shows together at some point or another. We kind of dabble in other scenes and don’t really consider ourselves a metal band so I don’t know how accurate this is really haha.

* You guys are traveling to Europe soon – is this your first European tour or have you been before? Where are your expectations at?
This is our first European tour. We are obviously really excited to tour out there, and to play on a different continent should be a crazy experience. We try not to expect too much, but we know we will have a good time.

* How do you guys go about writing songs? Do they come from epic jam sessions or does everyone bring parts in? or is it more of a dictatorship where one person comes in with everyone’s parts written already?
I write the riffs and bring them to the band. Most of the time there will be a pretty solid idea of where the song needs to go but when I bring the songs to the table we work on them as a band and sometimes things change. Once a pretty solid song structure is formed, leads and more changes come into play and usually gets tweaked a little more by the time it is done. We don’t really jam too much. Everything is pretty thought out and planned ahead of time.

* There is definitely a psychedelic tinge to your music, any of the band use psychedelics at all? if so what ones?
This is something we like to leave up to the listener.

* Let’s talk equipment – what kind of guitars do you use? Do you have a “go-to” guitar?
I have a American made Fender Jazzmaster that I love and have been using since our second album. I don’t really see myself using much else, but I said that with my Gibson Les Paul 1960 Classic Re-Issue that I don’t currently use anymore except on recordings haha.

* How about amps? I know a lot of guys these days swear by digital amp models, do you prefer that or a full blown stack? Any favorite amp brands you prefer?
We definitely don’t use digital amp models. Live I use an Orange Rockerverb 100 with an Orange 4×12 and 2×12, and Ryan uses a Peavy 6505 with matching 4×12. I have always used Orange but I woulnd’t consider us to be gear snobs. We both have simple set ups and just use what we have found to like over the years.

* What’s the recording process like for you guys? I would imagine it is not a ‘set up- bash the songs out in a live environment” type of recording situation?
We start but tracking the drums, song by song. I will play a scratch track guitar with them for reference and so I can play along with them. After that we track the bass, and rhythm guitars. We end with leads and any additional ambience, or extra instruments.

* I know you guys are not afraid to get out and tour? What’s been your favorite show so far and why?
We love to tour. We all wish we could do it more, but you know, we have bills to pay and jobs and loved ones and that isn’t easy to drop and hit the road. It was easier when we were younger but I think as we get older the touring will continue to slow down. I honestly have no idea what my favorite show of ours has been. I’ve never thought about that before and now thinking back, we have had a lot of killer shows. It would be impossible to narrow it down to one. I will narrow down one I’m looking forward to the most though – Dunk!Fest in Zottegem, Belgium on May 27th.

“A narcotic officer in bumfuck Mississippi pulled us over on an overnight drive, planted weed in our van, arrested one of us, charged us $600 in cash only and never filed the report once. Good times”

* Any crazy tour stories you can share?
A narcotic officer in bumfuck Mississippi pulled us over on an overnight drive, planted weed in our van, arrested one of us, charged us $600 in cash only and never filed the report once. Good times.

* Outside of your next European run what can we expect from Set and Setting in 2017?
We are touring the US (and probably some shows in Canada) in October of 2017. We are also playing the inaugural Dunk!USA in Burlington Vermont on this run, October 8th.

* Any final words?
Thanks for reading! We just released Reflectionless, our third full length album in January and we’d love it if you gave it a listen. Here are some links to keep up with us and/or support us:

http://www.facebook.com/setandsetting
twitter and instagram: @setandsetting

merch:
http://setandsetting.merchnow.com