Interview Ambient Black Metal Artist Spectral Kingdom

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.

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