Bruder Des Lichts

Decibel magazine’s album of the year winners Khemmis spoke to me about murder hotels in Vegas, winning album of the year, Colorado’s legal weed and much more – read on:

* First off congratulation on having album of the year in Decibel magazine – how did that feel? shock? validation?

Both. We were all very proud of the album, but we were definitely shocked to be at the top of such an amazing list with so many tremendous records and bands. Anyone who plays in a band will tell you that there are a lot of personal sacrifices and compromises to be made along the way, so having our names grace the pages of Decibel is very validating.

* Did you know when writing and recording the Hunted that you had something special on your hands?

It was definitely special to us. In our minds we had made an album that we enjoyed playing and listening to, and we did it together. The fact that it speaks to other people is icing on the cake. Dan (bass) was a bit concerned that, because the album lacked a focus on some of the stoner elements found on Absolution, we may lose some fans along the way. The other guys were more confident that other people would dig it. Regardless of any doubts we may have had, we never contemplated doing anything other than evolving into what you hear on Hunted.

* You guys call yourself Doom Rock N Roll – when I listen to your album I hear Sabbath, Candlemass, St Vitus, Traditional metal plus heavy bands like Yob and Pallbearer..which came first? Your traditional metal influences or did you start off with bands like Pallbearer and discover bands like Thin Lizzy later?

Though Black Sabbath predates the Doom label, they are generally considered the godfathers of the genre. Candlemass and St. Vitus are both known as doom bands too, though we understand the ambiguity in such labels. We’ve all been influenced by those classic Doom lords, but we’ve never had a conversation about wanting to sound like them or newer bands like Pallbearer. More directly, a shared love for Thin Lizzy, Iron Maiden, Sleep and Yob are the cornerstones of this band.

* Lyrics to your songs are pretty dark and dismal but you guys seem pretty well adjusted and fun loving..what’s the trick between striking a balance between the two?

We don’t believe that having fun and being well adjusted precludes having a dark side. In fact, people without a dark side, probably aren’t very functional, as they’re denying a natural part of their being. Our music allows us to achieve balance by being an outlet for us to discuss those things that can consume our thoughts or haunt us; we can exercise our fears, pain, and frustrations.

* Khemmis is an Egyptian city right? have any of the band visited there? Would you guys like to play there as a band or just visit as tourists? I know guys like Nader Sadek are trying their best to make Cairo a destination point for touring metal bands but I fear that with the way the religious right are there playing any form of metal will soon be illegal!

Khemmis is the Greek name for an ancient Egyptian city that was the birthplace of Horus. It is generally believed that the current city of Akhmim is the descendant of that place. The mythology of the city is interesting, but none of us have visited. There are so many places in the world we’d love to play, we’re sure Egypt would be a great addition to that list.

* Your previous album Absolution was done with 20 buck spin as well. How did the deal with 20 buck spin come about?

Zach (drums) had a relationship with the label through his previous band, Vasaeleth; 20 Buck Spin put out a couple of their albums on vinyl. Zach planted the seed of working together while we were recording, and, once the album was finished, Dave (of 20BS) was the first person we sent it to. Zach really trusted and respected 20 Buck Spin, so we were all excited when they agreed to release the album.

* I know there was a cassette release of The Hunted as well – does it surprise you that cassettes have made such a “come back” especially in the underground metal scene?

It is surprising, though we all understand the nostalgia to some degree. We also understand the desire for bands to get their music down on physical media, and cassettes are still an inexpensive way to do that. For us, cassettes were never something we planned on doing, but we’re glad it makes some people happy to have them.

* Hailing from Colorado how do you feel the legal weed ruling has impacted the local scene? Has it made things better or worse?

No impact. The people who smoke weed and like stoner rock have always smoked weed and liked stoner rock. No fewer or more people come to shows or play in bands in Colorado as a result of legalized weed, at least not in our world. Snoop Dogg probably visits more often than he used to. Maybe hippie jam band weirdos have been affected, but if it has affected the metal scene in Denver, it’d be hard to prove.

* What does everyone do for day jobs? Is the plan to go full time with the band or would you rather keep it a passion as opposed to a career?

Although there is nothing we love more than playing music, we all knew that the band would take a place behind our families and career aspirations. Ben and Phil are PhD candidates; teaching, researching, and working on their doctorates. Zach is the talented head brewer at a great Denver brewery. Dan is a project manager and engineer on large scale commercial and infrastructure projects. Though we never intended to be a touring band, we’re all willing to make reasonable compromises in our work and home lives to explore unique and exciting opportunities.

* What’s been your favorite cities to play when on tour?

We’ve had varied responses in most of the places we’ve played more than once. For instance, the first time through Sacramento was a bummer, that last time was great. Despite the insane heat, Phoenix has always been pretty good to us. LA has been fun too; our friend Mike is a great host.

* What’s been the worst city and why?

Vegas. The show we were told we’d have was never was a real thing, and the show we ended up with was a mess. We sold no merch and played in front of 3 (very nice) people. We couldn’t find an affordable hotel in the whole city, and we got paid with an 18” cheese pizza. On the way out of Vegas, in search of reasonably priced accommodations, the only vacancy we could find was a murder room full of blood and feces (like blood spatter on the walls and beds). We ended up driving through the night to Phoenix.

* Any places you guys have yet to play that are on your bucket list? South America? Russia? New Zealand? that type of thing

Those all sound good. I think we’d be satisfied with a string of successful European dates at this point. One or two cool fests on that side of the pond would be ideal.

* You guys are playing Psycho Las Vegas in 2017 are there any bands on the bill there that you are looking forward to catching?

Yes… all of them. It’s an incredible lineup. It’s kind of hard to imagine how we’re going to be able to take it all in. It wasn’t easy for us to make it happen, but we’re glad we could be part of such a great event.

* Any final words to your fans?

We are very grateful for all the support we’ve received. The folks who come to the shows and pump their fists, or sing along, or even just share an encouraging word, really make this experience an enjoyable one for us. In 2017, we’re playing more shows outside of Denver than ever before, so we hope to meet many more of you good people on the road.

I am a little late in the game picking up on French Black Metal band Cepheide. I actually bought their 2015 release Respire on a recommendation from the guys at 20 buck spin. I soon found myself playing their album daily – so you know the score I had to find out more about these guys. So I talked to Gaetan ( Vocals & Guitars ) and Hugo ( Bass) to find out more about them

* During the glory days of Death metal – you had world class bands coming out of all of the Uk and Europe except for France – they never really got Death metal fully at the time (thats not to say you didn’t have many fans there then) however in my opinion French Black metal you guys, Deathspell Omega, Alcest, etc are all world class – why do you think the French embraced black metal more than Death metal?

G: It might be more about culture than ability. Unlike Death Metal, that strives for efficiency, be it on a technical level or in the universe around it (cover art, band names…), the Black Metal themes often have a romantic touch, in the lyrics and in the way it sounds. In its history, France has had a lot of great authors, poets, which has been an inspiration for many bands (using poems as lyrics, as track titles…). It might cause a higher natural sensibility to Black Metal than it would be for Death Metal. That being said, I find it difficult to speak about an entire musical genre in a general way, but I think our culture has a lot to do here.

* You guys are a 3 piece – I find many 3 piece bands to be more “tight” than bands that have 4 or more members, was this a conscious decision ? or do you plan to add more guitarists? keyboards later?

G: There is no definite state regarding the line-up. During the demo, we didn’t think bass was required because we were looking for a specific sound. While we work on our new album and for lives, we replaced a guitar with a bass, because it gives our sound more amplitude, and it fits our new tracks better. We might decide to bring in another guitar if necessary, however keyboards are not part of my musical culture nor my writing process.

* How did you discover Black Metal? What are your favorite Black metal bands?

G: I discovered black metal rather late, around 18 years old. It first was a way of expressing myself on a musical level, then it somehow turned into a way of life. Being more sensitive to long pieces, I’m mostly into Atmospheric BM (Yellow Eyes, FellVoices, Ars Diavoli, Sun Worship, Ash borer … )

H: I discovered black metal through the post-rock/shoegaze side of Alcest, but it took me a while to actually dive more into that scene. It’s quite recently that I really started to listen and enjoy it. I’m quite a fan of the Atmospheric/Post BM bands that combine the beauty and melancholy of Post-Rock/Shoegaze and combine it with the rawness of Black Metal.

* Can you tell me much about the Paris Black metal scene? Are there other cities in France known for good black metal scenes?

G: To be honest,I don’t know if there really a Black Metal scene in Paris, or anywhere else in France. To me, there are great bands, but not as a collective.

* You guys play Paris a fair bit – what has been your favorite Cepheide show so far?

G: Each concert has it specificities. For instance, our live wit Scattered Purgatory and Heimatlos was very intense because we were playing new tracks, and really wanted to do something new. Our last show was heavily symbolic for me because we were playing with Hexis, a band I’ve been following for many years and that I went to see live a few years ago. I think each concert is different, and we chose not to play too often, so that we can offer something new at each show. This makes all concerts unique.

H: The concert with Scattered Purgatory and Heimatloss was my first with Cepheide, so I guess it’s special for me. But also, as a band, it was the beginning of something new for us.

* Have you played other countries yet? If not what countries are you looking forward to playing?

G: At the moment, we only played in France, but have some opportunities abroad for the year to come, mostly in central Europe. Since we don’t want to play too often, we select our dates with care.

H: I’d love to play in Estonia because I lived then for a couple years.

* I know you guys are working on a new album – what is the recording process like for Cepheide? Do you record in the traditional way like a recording studio , like a rock n roll band or do you use computers ? please explain

G: We do the recording ourselves. First we do a rough recording to be able to take a step back, then we record one instrument at a time in our rehearsal studio. We mostly try not to denature the sounds during the recording, so that it’s as similar as what was intended during the writing.

* When can we expect a release of the new album?

G: It should be out next Summer (2017)

* And what can we expect to hear musically on the new songs?

G: There’s a real evolution compared to the EP, both on the format and in the sound. It will be a full album of 5 or 6 tracks, of 7 to 15 minutes each. A bit less minimalistic in the structures, a bit more aggressive. We’re trying for each tracks to have its own identity, and are taking risks to challenge our way of playing and writing.

* Your Respire Ep release painted dark moods to me – what is your inspiration in writing songs? Do you have a process? Do you start with say a guitar riff or drum pattern or something else?

G: There’s no clear source of inspiration per-se. We wanted to do a 2 tracks piece, that would be a whole both in the music and the lyrics. The rest came itself. The writing often comes from a guitar melody, that evolves as we play it together.

* Any final words to your fans?

G: We’re really impressed to see the support and interest people have in Cepheide everyday, and we truly appreciate it. We’re putting a lot of efforts into our next release, and are really eager to release it to you! We do hope that you’ll still enjoy our take on Black Metal! And as a small extra info, the album is called “Saudade”

I recently interviewed drummer TJ from the Richmond Based Death / Sludge / Black metal band Inter Arma here is what he had to say

* Richmond has a long history of great metal bands coming out of there – why do you think that is?
Richmond is very much so a transient city. Hardly anyone who lives here is actually born and raised here, myself included. A lot of imported talent.

* You have done a couple of releases on Relapse now – How did your deal with those guys come about and how do they compare as a label versus the indie labels you were on before hand and your self released stuff?
A friend of a friend of a friend gave someone at Relapse an as of that point unmixed copy of Sky Burial and they got in touch with us from there. Relapse is great. They’re good people and treat us well. They’re a little bit larger label and have their fingers in a few more pies so the exposure is a little bit better there.

* Paradise Gallows is one of my favorite records of 2016 such a great mix of doom, death, sludge, black metal – how do you guys write songs is it just Trey or Steve that come up with riffs or does everyone bring some thing to the party?
Everyone brings in ideas and riffs and we just pound em’ out in the bandroom. As far as the mixture of genres, that’s never a premeditated thing. If it sounds good and it feels good we run with it.

* Some of your song writing covers Post Apocalyptic themes – do you think that our society has a chance of carrying on or do you believe we need a major reset like a new black plague or Zombie Apocalypse to “cleanse the earth?”
Even with the recent “changing of the guards”, I think life will go on and I don’t believe any real change will happen. The rich will continue to get richer and the poor will still write heavy metal records.

* What sort of movies do you guys watch to gain inspiration for your music?
I enjoy movies in a different capacity. To me, they’re an escape for 1-2 hours. I can’t remember ever walking away from a movie and feeling inspired other than watching Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and wanting to party.

* Staying with the post apocalyptic theme – the band name means “in times of war” right? Who came up with the name and what were they trying to convey by calling yourselves Inter Arma?
The name comes from the latin phrase “inter arma enin silent leges” which translates to “in times of war the law falls silent”. As far as who came up with the name… I have no idea. It’s between two past members and they still argue over it.

* Some of your songs have an almost trippy / psychedelic feel to them – do any of the band use psychedelics and if so what ones do they prefer Mushrooms? Acid? Ayahuasca? DMT?
I plead the fifth

* What was it like touring with Carcass and Deafheaven – what was your biggest “take away’ from working with both bands?
I wouldn’t necessarily say we learned anything other than both bands are filled with wonderful human beings and we learned to love Jagermeister.

* How well are you guys received in Europe? I know some US bands can’t get arrested here in the US and are loved in Europe and some bands do amazing in the US and the Europeans don’t want to know..where do you guys fall on this?
Europeans seem to dig us and I’d even go as far as saying that they’re a little more understanding of this slightly odd type of music that we’re playing.

* Which countries have you guys yet to play and which ones are you dying to hit? South America? Australia? Korea? etc
If there’s a country we haven’t played yet then we want to play it. Hell, we want to go back and play all the countries we’ve already played as well. Specifically, I’d like to play in the U.S.S.R.

* What can we expect new from Inter Arma? More touring? New Album?
Taking the holidays, playing a 10th anniversary show in February then hitting the road again.

* Any shout outs of final words?
Keep on rocking in the free world!

-T.J.

Been listening to these guys since their  album Black Hole Gods (2014) and figured it was time to do an interview with them. Here we go
Where does the band name come from?

PRANJAL TIWARI: It’s derived from the Wyrm Mythos works of the occultist, hallucinogenicist, obliteratus, and former British colonial functionary Godwinson Asquith Stanley. Who was once my next-door neighbor.

NATHAN A. VERRILL: Some people say Stanley was a curious fellow of many, many words.  Some say old G.A. can be seen sometimes, only at dusk, walking hooded and silent in the darkness.

What bands influenced you guys growing up?

PRANJAL: We’re all born in the 60s and 70s so maybe that will give you an idea. Up to a certain point it was whatever was on the radio or whatever you could get your hands on at the local store. In my teenage years I got into metal and punk but I’m pretty sure the first LP I owned was the Muppets doing Saturday Night Fever. I definitely think you can hear the influence of ‘Rubber Duckie’ and ‘C is for Cookie’ on our new record.

LEILA ABDUL-RAUF: I started playing guitar at age 13 and played in my first band when I was 15 but I had already at that point been playing trumpet for several years in the jazz, marching and concert bands in my school, so I had a strong classical foundation. I was exposed to all kinds of music as a small child – not just western pop and classical music, or underground western music, but also music my family played in the house from the Arab and Asian world. I had a religious upbringing (or at least my family tried!) and was surrounded by sounds of Quran recitals and calls to prayer, which definitely informed my musicality. Because of the diverse background I had from birth, I can’t really sum up my influences in a handful of artists!

NATHAN: I sang in choir and played cello as a child.  I picked up guitar at a similar age to Leila. I am influenced by so many people who’ve written or played western classical music, jazz, free improvisation, metal, gospel, punk, ambient and experimental electronic music, country, hip hop.  I’m sure Pranjal would agree that Animal of Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem were crucial influences on not only future drummers but anyone who wanted to bring unbound exuberance to music.  And we all knew the direct line that could be drawn from Cookie Monster to Napalm Death and other death metal bands to follow.  And we saw that it was good.

Was it always your plan to sing and play drums or were you just going to sing until you guys “found the right person” to front the band?

PRANJAL: In the original Cardinal Wyrm lineup, I was playing bass and signing. Drums have always been my main instrument in terms of experience, though. When we parted ways with LK who was playing drums in the original lineup, I decided to take over and play drums and sing. I figured if Phil Collins and Don Henley could do it, so could I!

NATHAN: Pranjal was playing drums with me on guitar/bass in our pre/proto-Cardinal Wyrm two-piece lineup. The shift of instruments after LK’s departure felt like a welcome return home. When Pranjal then added singing to playing, it was like the clouds parted and the hand of Kelly Keagy reached down through the blinding light above to place his hand on our foreheads and give us His holy blessings.

You guys sing about depression and the occult a fair bit – Are you singing from personal experience?

PRANJAL: We try to evoke what is inside us through our songs, and the lyrics are a big part of that. Though the specific focus of the lyrics can vary from story-telling (as in “After the Dry Years” or “Grave Passage”) to straight descriptions of incidents such as in (“Dreams of Teeth” or “Ruin”), at the core of it the subject matter has dealt with the sense of wandering, being between worlds, being lost and not belonging anywhere. I think we all have personal experience with this in our lives. The occult stuff when it appears in our music is reflective of the desperate search for meaning, of grasping at straws, trying to find something to cling on to, a thread that will show you the way, a resonance that will orient you on a path. This has mixed results, both for the characters in the stories we tell in our songs, and for us personally.

NATHAN: We’ve known some dark times whose tentacles still sneak through our music.  Do we sing from personal experience about the occult?  I can only say, “JQ’GP’VH USEB N’DRACRO FL’WYM STI!”

Leila is in about 50 other bay area bands – how did you convince her to sing and play bass for you guys?

LEILA: It’s really just five bands – if you include my solo project too – and CW is a great band so it didn’t take much to convince me! I can’t think of any other band out there right now that sounds like us.

PRANJAL: Leila used to play with us doing live backing vocals on a few songs before she joined on bass, and she even joined us on our Southwest tour in that capacity. We’ve all known each other and played music together for a while and so when we needed a bass player we made her an offer she couldn’t refuse. Well, didn’t refuse. Thankfully.

NATHAN: Pranjal and I have known them Vastums for several years, both bands having done time in different rehearsal rooms in the same building in the Tenderloin District in Downtown San Francisco. We’ve since all departed for Oakland, CA. Over the last couple of years, I’ve played music and provided visuals for Leila’s solo project.  I’m very happy that she’s been able to join us in this band and share her unique and considerable talents with us. This is dope.

The entire Bay Area is one of the most expensive places to live in the entire USA right now. that said why do you think there are so many good bands coming out of the bay Area right now? Usually you find a strong scene where the cost of living isn’t so harsh, Seattle in the 90s, Richmond VA anytime, NYC in the 70s etc.

LEILA: The bay area has had a solid underground music scene for decades. Certain underground scenes grew and shrunk and then grew again over time, but I think the solid foundation made over the many decades has had long lasting effects, even in the face of the worst gentrification we’ve ever seen. Unlike most areas of the U.S., the bay area also has rent control, which is the only reason why artists who have been living here for a long time are still able to afford to live here, myself included.

PRANJAL: I mean the cost of living in SF and Oakland used to be much lower too, and the hyper-gentrification we’ve seen lately has really only been in the last few years. In general I think you’ll find the underground music scene in the Bay Area is made up of people who have been here a while and have the networks to be able to survive in such an expensive area – friend or family connections for example, knowing who to contact for a room in a house or for work, or maybe they’ve lived in their apartment for a while and have rent control and / or know their landlords. It’d be a very difficult place to move to right now without those connections. That said, there’s still a lot of great bands from out here and a healthy music scene in 2016 – thanks to a lot of people who work very hard to keep it that way.

NATHAN: The recent fire and tragic deaths of over 36 people, friends and family in our extended community, at the Ghost Ship Warehouse in Oakland, CA was horrific.  It also illustrates in many ways where we are at now. This was a hazardous space similar to those most of us in the metal, punk, goth, electronic and experimental scenes have had to play at various times all of our working lives. If you are a musician or an artist, a writer, etc., a content creator and not a large shareholder in one of the top transnational media corporations, odds are you are struggling and planning your next inevitable move as your current niche habitat gets (once again) gentrified and you are priced out. In general, all of us who get our money to live from our actual work and not from dividends have the same problems.  We struggle to be fed, clothed and housed. We struggle to have and maintain “public” places that we can meet, commune, celebrate, and feel safe and support each other, especially if we are a person of color and/or a member of the LGTBQ community. Meanwhile, the CEOs of crony capitalism continue to try to drain the last drops of blood from us to sell for a dollar. We are nothing without the support of those we love, of our friends and of our communities.

Black Hole gods was one of my favorite records of 2014 – how would you say the band’s sound progressed over the next 2 releases?

PRANJAL: Thanks! There’s only been one record since “Black Hole Gods,” which is called “Cast Away Souls” and came out in October 2016 through Svart Records. I think the new record takes some more risks and branches out in some different directions to Black Hole Gods. To use the respective imagery of the albums, Cast Away Souls is less cosmic, and more like drifting on a river through dream islands encountering various tales and beasts along the way. There are plans for a split 7″ with our Finnish buddies Mansion either in December or in early 2017 which I think branches out even further than the new record does. A sign of things to come, perhaps.

NATHAN: We’ve had a steady path of growth and development between our albums as well.  After we released our first album “Another Holy Trinity,” we released a single, “The Persecuted Crone,” which remains one of my favorite songs to date. Prior to the release of our second album we released a cover of Rudimentary Peni song “The Enlightened Dreamer” that for the first time revealed some of our maybe hidden post-punk influences.  We had the opportunity prior, to the release of our latest album, to contribute a Bathory cover, “Enter the Eternal Fire,” to a local compilation.  We were able to refine what we learned on “Black Hole Gods” on this single release.  We’re currently writing towards our next release and we hope to deliver an even more focused yet diverse, intense, and likely, very weird experience.

How did your record deal with Svart Records come about?

PRANJAL: We released Black Hole Gods digitally in 2014, in order to have something to show labels who might be interested in releasing a physical copy of the album. After many months of reaching out and trying to elicit a response from anyone (it’s tough these days to even hear back from labels) Svart eventually contacted us saying they wanted to work with us. Being big fans of their work and their releases, we were very excited to get to work with them.

NATHAN:  We had an enthusiastic response to and many kind words spoken about Black Hole Gods that brought us to Svart’s attention. We were glad for the opportunity to release BHG as a double gatefold LP.

How much touring have you guys done to date? (I know you did a South west tour a few years back and I THINK you might have done the north west too)

PRANJAL: Not as much as we’d like is the short answer. I’d love to tour more, within the US and beyond, but it’s been a challenge to organize anything more than a short tour with all our differing responsibilities and schedules. We hope to go on at least a Pacific Northwest tour with ‘Cast Away Souls’ and I’d love to do the East Coast if we’re able.

Any good tour stories you can share?

PRANJAL: Jesus, there was that one-man power-electronics guy whose show involved him screaming “REQUIEM!” and masturbating furiously to remixed speeches from the Albanian communist dictator Enver Hoxha. What name did that guy go by again? Bread And Cervix or something like that? Anyway, this all happened while some sort of stuffed animal wolf / chicken puppet thing suspended from a wire flew about him on stage chasing a fucking dreamcatcher. I mean is that even a story or just a mental image, and one you didn’t need? Makes you think.

NATHAN: It DOES.

What’s been the best gig to date?

LEILA: For me it’s a toss-up between my first CW show as bassist (I played several CW shows before that as just a guest vocalist) at Katakombes in Montreal for Grimposium 2015 and at the Oakland Metro with Wrekmeister Harmonies and Bell Witch.

PRANJAL: That first Montreal gig was amazing for sure. I think I’ll always remember playing with the legendary Hobbs Angel of Death and seeing Peter Hobbs himself banging his head in the front and later coming up to me saying he really liked our set. Surreal.

NATHAN:  I love playing live and look forward to ever improving and feeling like the next gig will be our best gig to date.

As an Indian guy playing metal – have you any ambitions to take the band to India? From my limited knowledge, provinces like Bangalore are metal mad with potential audiences of over 90 million people.

PRANJAL: Well I should clarify that though I’m about as ethnically Indian as you can get, I have never lived in India, I was born and raised elsewhere. It would be an amazing thing to take the band there, though. There’s obviously a ‘going back to your roots’ sort of appeal to me, but beyond that the underground music scene over there seems to be pretty healthy these days like you say. I’d love to go there and check it out and to bring Cardinal Wyrm there would be a dream come true.

LEILA: That would be amazing if we went to India or anywhere in Asia for that matter.

Are there Any touring goals you guys want to aim for? Examples: Wacken Germany? Hole in the Sky Norway etc.

LEILA: A Europe tour around Roadburn would be great for us.

PRANJAL: Yes! A European tour around Roadburn would be awesome. There are also a bunch of other excellent festivals out that way – Doom Over Leipzig, Doom Over London, Mangualde in Portugal, Eistnaflug in Iceland just to name a few. I’d also love to go to Mexico as well as South America. Those parts of the world in particular because we’ve had a lot of support from Mexico and many countries in Europe and South America – much more so than in the US I’d say – and I’d love to be able to play for people live there.

NATHAN: Europe has been good to the band and I’d love the opportunity to play all of those places and events. In addition to those more earth-bound goals, I wouldn’t mind a gig on the International Space Station. Or Mars. Or to place ourselves onstage in a dingy bar of some other more habitable and friendly planet with fewer racist, authoritarian, homophobic pricks ruling over the real estate. This planet is a bit shit these days, innit? ONWARD.

Thanks for the great interview guys and hope to see you on the East Coast sometime soon!

check out Castaway Souls here:

I have seen Throaat play out in NYC a bunch of times in the last few years mainly at St Vitus and Lucky 13 and they never disappoint. I wanted to know more about the band and spoke with singer Impurifier Vilethroaat to get the down lo. Here we go

* So you guys have been going for a couple of years now – how did the
band come about?

Around November 2012 I started writing songs for a new project. I
wanted to be doing music much more raw and primitive than what I had
been doing before. So I started looking for people to play with by
placing some Craigslist ads because I didnt want to play with anyone I
already knew. It only sort of ended up that way, but those were the
beginnings.

* Growing up what were your musical influences? (I am guessing someone
is a huge Hellhammer fan)

At some point, maybe I was 6 or 7, I inherited my older brother’s
Black Sabbath Paranoid/Iron Maiden Number of the Beast cassette tape.
I was transfixed! Especially by the Sabbath side. Every instrument and
lyric seemed to speak to me, or even make me feel like I was in a
trance. Really powerful shit!

I was a little kid when 80’s heavy metal was blowing up, so I feel
fortunate to have been exposed to it during those formulative years.

I think I first heard black metal in the early or mid 90’s, I had this
compilation that had all second wave bands. In the 90’s I was also
getting into a lot of avant garde and “world” music. Stuff that had
nothing to do with metal but that has had a really lasting influence
on how I perceive sound.

Around 1994 I started getting very deeply into Mercyful Fate. In 1998
I even saw them play once while on LSD! In the late 90’s I got heavily
into Celtic Frost (To Mega Therion was first for me, then Morbid
Tales). When I first heard it I felt like I could really relate to it,
in that they were pulling off sounds that I was searching for in my
own material, but they were doing it so damn well, it was a real eye
opener. And yeah around that time I first heard Hellhammer as well, I
got the Apocalyptic Raids cd and heard a few other things. I thought
it was great but to me nothing could touch Frost, especially To Mega
Therion!

I’m into a lot of other kinds of music like psych, punk, goth, death
rock, krautrock, prog etc but that’s my deal growing up with metal.
Nowadays I also spend a lot of time seeking out unfamiliar or obscure
music, Im always trying to find some hidden perpective on sound that
might open up my mind in some way.

* Have you always been a drummer/singer – I imagine its got to be
pretty hard especially for the style of metal you play – was there
ever any plans to have some one else drum for you?

I started playing music a long time ago but drums are the instrument
I’ve played the least in my life. I never really played drums before
Throaat, just a little bit of tapping around on the kit when the real
drummer in whatever band it was went out to take a leak or sell some
weed to someone. I always played guitar or bass. I had taken some
piano and voice lessons during high school. I figure as long as you
understand rhythm and can produce a sound on an instrument, like how
to make the different notes, it’s not too hard to get into playing it.
I mean, you don’t have to know EVERYTHING about an instrument to just
make up some wicked parts for a song right? So when Throaat started to
come together, I knew I wanted to do the vocals and figured the
fastest way to becoming a “real band” was to pick up the drums; so
there would be a drummer from the start, however amateurish or
primitive it might be. I wanted to do something new and in an
unsophisticated style so it seemed like the way to go.

Throaat has seen some lineup changes recently, and each time there was
a change, the question comes up about whether or not I should switch
to another instrument. I really like playing drums though so I’m going
to stick with it. Also I think it would change the sound of the band
pretty drastically with a different drummer, unless he happened to
play with the same shitty pizzazz as I do, but that would be hard to
find! If there were an ad it would have to say something like SHITTY
DRUMMER WANTED. BUT NOT TOO SHITTY!

We did do a one-off show not too long ago where I played bass and did
the vocals, our bass player at that time played the drums and our
guitar player did his guitar thing. We called it Taorrh. There was a
booking conflict so we decided to switch it up for that one night. Our
friends from the killer band Conqueror Worm were in town on tour and
played that night as well.

* Right now the NYC metal scene is pretty concentrated in Brooklyn –
any thoughts on why Brooklyn and not say Queens or the Bronx?

Seems to me there are a ton of bands in Queens and the Bronx. I
recognize some typical aesthetic differences between bands from
Brooklyn vs other parts of NYC but I’m not sure I could elucidate what
those differences are without turning into a grumpy bastard.

* What’s your favorite place to play in NYC? Lucky 13? Vitus?

We’ve done plenty of shows at both places. Lately we’ve been playing
at Lucky 13 more, I love that place. Vitus is great too. We also
played at The Acheron a lot before it closed. I also like playing at
The Gutter.

* Is everyone born and raised in Brooklyn? if not where are they from?

I was but the other folks in the band (both past and present) come
from other locales. Native Brooklynites are somewhat rare in the music
scene here.

* You guys have done a bunch of demos and EPs – any plans for a full length?

Yeah in fact we have a full length LP called Reflections in Darkness
that was completed not too long ago. We’re figuring out a label
situation now but for some reason I’ve been extremely lazy about
making it happen. I think I got a little bit of burnout when finishing
off the record and needed a break. The business part of music isnt
exactly fun.

Since then we also finished a split 7” EP with a band from Lexington,
KY called Apocryphal Revelation. We each have about 7 minutes, for us
it’s two songs (“The Tannery” and “Purify Salem’s Lot”) and for them
it’s one song (“Graveyard Torment”). We are seeking a label for that
right now too.

* What’s been the best show you guys have played to date?

HMMM good question. I think maybe my favorite Throaat show ever was at
the September 2015 Wings of Metal Festival in Montreal. Another
favorite was opening for Venom, Inc. at Saint Vitus not too long ago.
They were amazing, really exactly what you’d want to see in a Venom
show.

* Have you done much touring in the USA? If not are there plans to for
the future?

We have been around a bit, and we absolutely have plans to continue
that. I’d like to get out to the west coast in 2017, we havent been
there as a band yet. Same deal with Europe, with some luck maybe we
can make it happen.

* What’s the best part of being in a metal band from NYC?

I find it really tricky being in a band here. The scene is probably
much more cutthroat (no pun intended) than many cities. Also everyone
has to work insane hours to make ends meet or is just broke all the
time.

On a positive (and music fan-based) note, something I enjoy about
being here is that so many great bands come here to play shows. Like
Manila Road. Or Nifelheim. Those were two of the greatest shows I’ve
ever seen.

* As a metal fan what’s your favorite format – for me day time at work
its Spotify/bandcamp/youtube and vinyl at night

I would say my listening habits are similar. When I want to feel what
I’m listening to it’ll need to be on vinyl. Cassette would work for
that too but my only cassette player is my trusty 4 track recorder.

Cheers, Alex. Thanks for the interview.

check out their Blackspeed EP here:

I first heard of these guys via the good people at Broken Limbs Records – I loved their sound and  wanted to know more about the band and what they were all about. Big thanks to Mattia and Chad for the interview.

* Does the band name have any meaning – who came up with the band name?

 Chad: Atrament is completely black, the blackest black, none more black. I think Mattia found the word and then we all decided it would be the best fit.

Mattia: yeah I can’t recall where I heard it but when I did it stuck. It was evil sounding in my head. I did some more research on its meaning and found out it also actually means ‘blackener’ – or anything that turns things black, like a die or black stain. The word ‘atrocity’ also comes from the word ‘atrament’. So, we all thought it stuck with the band’s reckless ‘mission’ pretty well.

* You guys do the perfect mix of dbeat and black metal – Were you guys crusty kids who got into metal or metal guys who discovered Discharge? 

 Chad: Crust to Metal

Mattia: Tough question, I’ve always liked punk and metal equally for as long as I can recall. I’ve known Iron Maiden longer than I have Discharge, so I guess metal to punk…

* What would you say are your biggest musical influences?

 Chad: Pete Sandoval during the early years of Morbid Angel. His drumming on Terrorizer’s World Downfall is untouchable. The Ramones, Discharge

Mattia: Filthy and heavy as fuck punk. The brutal stuff. Bands like Discharge, GISM, and Doom. The ‘metal’ sounds coming out of the music is just the inevitable consequence of just wanting to provoke widespread terror. That’s where stuff like Darkthrone, Beherit, Extreme Noise Terror, early Napalm Death and Dismember also play their precious role.

* There seems to be so many great bands coming out of the whole Bay Area these days – why do you think that is?

 Chad: Who knows…

Mattia: Perhaps a close knit community of musicians who share ideas and inspire and influence each other in positive ways….

* I know Chad used to drum for Vastum – anybody else have any bands outside of Atrament

 Chad: Necrot, Rude, Mortuous, Caffa, Disinihibition

Mattia: I’m aso in Abstracter. James, our guitarist, also plays bass in Abstracter. He used to be in Black September and Moral Void when he was still living in Chicago.

* How did the band come together?

 Chad: Mattia was responsible for getting everyone to jam. The first practice was pretty cool. The music naturally formed and we kept meeting up to practice.

Mattia: I wanted to play in a really angry and heavy punk band that played in the d-beat style, so I put an ad on Craigslist. James had just moved here to the Bay Area from Chicago and of course had to quit Moral Void to relocate, so was looking to also play hardcore in the darker vein as was Moral Void. He replied to my ad and sent me his recorded riffs. I thought he had some killer stuff going on.  We immediately realized we were on the same page, so we set out to find a rhythm section. Chad is a friend from great Bay Area bands like Necrot etc. and a sick drummer. I knew was also  into D-beat and crust punk, so it was a no brainer decision to try to ‘lure’ him into Atrament. I sent him James’ ideas and asked him if he’d be down to drum for the new project and he was down. Sam once jammed with my other band Abstracter, and although then he could not join full time I was very impressed with this skills, so when Atrament needed a bass player he was the number choice on my mind, so I invited him to play bass for us. Thankfully, this time around he had more free time on his plate. So here we are.

* I got my vinyl from the label Broken Limbs – how did that deal come about?

 Mattia: I liked Pete’s releases by Krieg, Cara Heir, Unsacred, Venowl, Lithotome, Human Bodies etc, so I sent him the record when it was done and asked if he’d be interested, and I guess he was! At the same time we asked Mike from Argento Records in the Netherlands if he’d like to handle a European version and he was down as well, so ‘Eternal Downfall’ turned out to be a co-release between Broken Limbs and Argento.

* You guys recorded the album at the infamous Earhammer studios – how was the whole recording process for you guys?

 Chad: The recording went well. Got the drums tracked in five hours. We were definitely ready to record. It was one of the quickest recording sessions I have done.

* What’s been the biggest gig you guys have played to date?

 Chad: I think it was our first show at the old Oakland Metro. Pale Chalice, False, and Gloam.

* Have you done much touring and if not was that intentional or are plans still in the works?

 Chad: We are all so busy in other bands and we work full time so it’s hard for our schedules to sync up. We definitely want to tour. Most likely when we finish writing the second record we will do a west coast tour.

* Have any of the band played NYC before? If so how does the scene compare to Oakland?

 Chad: I played NYC in May. I have a few friends out there (Trenchgrinder, Skullshitter). The night Necrot played it was Mother’s Day so only a handful of people showed up to The Acheron. Everyone in NYC i met during my stay was really cool! Cheers!

Mattia: I’ve toured Europe and the Southeastern United States with Abstracter, but never on the East Coast. One day hopefully!

* Any shout outs to friends? families? bands?

 Chad: Thank you to my friends and family for their continued support throughout the years. Slayer

Mattia: Our friends at Ghost Town Brewing for letting us rehearse at their warehouse for free!

Check out their latest album here: