This week I spoke with Damon from Mournful Congregation, probably one of the best bands doing Funeral Dirge in the world today. Damon comes from South Australia and we spoke about the isolation of being a doom band based in Australia, what it takes to be in a band for so long (since 1993!) and the misconceptions of Americans you get from watching TV – read on.
•First off Congrats on the new album – it certainly feels like you guys were doing something to move doom into a more accessible position- Was this a conscious decision or did it just happen naturally?
I actually didn’t come away from this album thinking we had made a more accessible album than any albums previous. I actually thought, this album will not necessarily gain new fans, or turn new people onto our style, but will perhaps appease fans who already know our style. I mainly thought this because I think this album is a bit of a hard listen overall, because of its length and because of its intensity and somewhat unrelenting nature. We did intend to create some sort of intoxicating sound though, that fulfills all the right frequency cravings from listeners. So, if we did happen to make a more accessible album, then I guess it was a consequence of two strains of thought from us. But it wasn’t high on our list of things to achieve, no.
•How do you guys find splitting up your releases with 20 Buck Spin in the USA and Osmose for Europe?
It has so far worked really well for all of us. We started this way of working with “The Book of Kings” album back in 2011, and have continued working this way since. Also not to forget Weird Truth taking care of Asia too. It seems to make sense in this era, having labels to take care of each continent rather than one label taking care of world distribution.
•Australia has always had a pretty great underground metal scene – what factors do you think contribute to this?
Isolation, cultural identity (stemming from a mixing pot of cultural identities), certain climactic features, certain attitude (that is uniquely Australian) and certain features that are unique to this land itself must all contribute I guess.
We didn’t need to be connected to any particular cities’ “live scene”
•Being based in South Australia must be pretty isolating. What would you say are the best pros and cons to being based in SA?
Being based in Australia in general is not a great thing for bands who want to tour. So being in SA doesn’t really seem any worse to us than being based anywhere else within Australia. In fact I would prefer to be here than in any bigger cities like Melbourne or Sydney. Up until 2009, we were strictly a studio band, so everything we did was through the underground networks of letter writing, fanzines and tape trading etc. So it didn’t really matter where you were from in this case. We didn’t need to be connected to any particular cities’ “live scene” or anything like that. And still don’t need to be.
•After being in a band for what 25+ years now? what keeps you going?
There has never been a consideration to stop. We have plenty of new material written to work on for the next album. It is a compulsion to keep exploring this style, and trying to better and further explore this style. I do not really question it, if the inspiration keeps coming, which it does, then I will keep being the prepared vessel for which it may come through.
At this point I think the strongest bands have survived
•How would you say the Aussie metal scene has changed in those years?
It’s had its ebbs and flows. It’s not free from trends, and I’ve seen trends come and go. At this point I think the strongest bands have survived and you probably know them by now. In the last few years I have seen very few new bands offering anything interesting. So you could say we are in the ebb rather than the flow right now.
•What about the scene worldwide?
Perhaps the same could be said for the scene worldwide. Although I do hear new and interesting things emerge from different parts of the globe sporadically. So I must deduce that “scenes” don’t seem to emerge so much from one place anymore. Things are spread out alot more. Certain cities or even countries might produce one good band nowadays rather than ten good bands like they used to.
•What metal bands do you rate in 2018?
Hooded Menace, Phrenelith, Acephalix, Bell Witch, Illimitable Dolor, Malokarpatan to name a few. Not necessarily new bands, but good ones by my reckoning.
•Whats the one thing you miss from the old days of the underground scene in the early 90s?
Although I could not be fucked writing letters anymore, I do miss receiving letters full of flyers and maybe a demo tape or two.
This is the beauty of travel though, myths and stereo-types are often busted wide open
•You did your first US tour in 2011 if I am correct? What was it like to finally visit America? Did you have many misconceptions that were laid to rest (I know many Scandinavian bands expect everyone in NYC to be like an episode of Friends or Seinfeld)
Yeah, it was 2011 touring with Aldebaran and Anhedonist. Oh yeah, many myths were put to rest haha!
I didn’t see one incidence of gun violence or gang violence – that’s what the media would have us believe the US is all about . And alot of Americans are very humble, quiet and welcoming – not loud mouth tourists or Hollywood-type extroverts. Really, it exposes our own ignorance for believing such stereo-types. This is the beauty of travel though, myths and stereo-types are often busted wide open.
Playing in the Californian mountains at Stella Natura Fest was a very fond experience
•What were your favorite places to play in the USA?
I have a fondness for the Pacific Northwest overall. But Texas was also very interesting and cool, and of course playing in the Californian mountains at Stella Natura Fest was a very fond experience.
•One of the biggest challenges I have found for Australian bands is the cost of flights to get to America or Europe – have you made much inroads into the various metal scenes in Asia (China. Japan etc) since they seem much closer to Australia and therefore more affordable to travel to.
We have toured in Japan once, back in 2010. But really it is not much cheaper to fly to than Europe or the US. It is cheaper for us to fly to South East Asia – like Indonesia, Thailand etc, but they tend to have less promoters willing to pay the flight funds. So we have never had the right offers come through to actually perform there, even though it might seem logical.
•In the past you have talked about the occult history of humanity – is this something that still interests you?
Yes of course. But I would say it becomes harder and harder to find valid and fulfilling works towards this interest. There is a point where you realize you must integrate practical knowledge over theoretical knowledge, and actually add to the pool rather than just swim in the pool. The framework of such ideas can be laid down through reading and research, but you must be willing for such framework to be shattered and expanded upon through experience. It is an ongoing process and actually part of being human – the very thing you are trying to unravel.
I am very fascinated by the psychedelic resurgence in the last few years
•Have you followed any occult paths yourself? if so which ones and what experiences do you care to share with us?
Yoga and meditation have been a solid foundation over the years. And I am very fascinated by the psychedelic resurgence in the last few years, of which I have delved into a little, and which I feel is harmonious with other spiritual/ occult practices. This is about as far as my ongoing discipline lies.
•What do you have lined up for the rest of 2018?
We are performing a few shows in the US in July, finishing at Migration Fest. And we are doing a 10-date European tour in November, finishing at Madrid is the Dark Fest.
In between these live sojourns, we will be working on our next album.
•Any final words?
Many thanks for the interview.
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