This week we spoke to Serge from Automb – 2020 – 2021 has been a weird time for all of us but as some of us imploded through the shut downs or too much food and booze others of us kept busy and creative during the down time, Serge from Automb is one of those – starting a side project called Selfgod – here is our first interview with him on Selfgod. New music for us to check out to come soon
Life’s been very hard and weird for me through the pandemic. Probably the worst year of my life
How have you been holding up during this crazy pandemic?
Life’s been very hard and weird for me through the pandemic. Probably the worst year of my life. Due to health issues last year (non covid) and of course the darkness of the pandemic and lock downs. Cancelling tours etc.
I would say this is the best material I’ve ever written.
I have heard one demo from Self God what can we expect for the album? The debut Selfgod album will feature material I wrote for Necrophagia and Automb. A good combination of Black and Death Metal. More emphasis on the death metal. A lot more catchy riffs and more symphonic elements. I would say this is the best material I’ve ever written.
How did you come up with the name Self God? It was very hard to come up with a name that wasn’t taken. Everything I thought of was already a band. I came up with the title Selbtsgott in German for an Automb song which translates to “Selfgod”. It represents the whole Pagan vibe I was trying to go for and there was another band with that name but it wasn’t very big and wasn’t active so I figured I can take that name.
Musically is the band going to be a drastic departure from Automb or just an extension of that band? Probably an extension with more flavors so to speak. I was going to use this material for the 3rd Automb album originally.
Lyrically what are the themes for self god going to be about? More paganism stuff or self empowering stuff or? Lyrically it’s mostly about Slavic paganism, self spiritually and just about the pagan age in Europe. Still have some lyrics to finish. But that’s what I got so far.
I follow mostly Slavic Paganism since I’m Slavic and I’m from Ukraine
Speaking of Paganism what path do you follow? I follow mostly Slavic Paganism since I’m Slavic and I’m from Ukraine and I also follow my own path which is a mixture of everything.
Gear wise do you plan on using any different gear from your Automb days? Gear wise it’s gonna be all completely different. I recently became endorsed by Dean guitars so I’m going to be using strictly deans. Also I got an endorsement from a very well known amp company. Can’t say yet who it is since there hasn’t been an announcement but ya I won’t be using my old amp rig again. Very excited to use this new gear
What can we expect next from Self God? You can expect a total Blackened Death metal sonic pagan assault
Any final words? I want to thank all the fans who supported me in Necrophagia and Automb. You’re support is everything to me and without you I wouldn’t be anywhere but my bedroom. So thank you all so much! Stay positive and stay metal. Also huge thanks to Alex from Brudders. Cheers.
In case you’ve been asleep at the wheel the last 2 years Hulder has been on a mission to take the metal underground by storm, over the span of a mix of DIY releases and a full length on Iron Bonehead Productions she’s succeeding. We caught up with her this week to find out what she is all about – read on!
So are you from Belgium and moved to the USA right? What’s the story here? I was born in Duffel, and spent the majority of my formative years in Mechelen, Belgium. I moved to the USA a little over ten years ago. After spending time all over California I relocated to Oregon and have been enjoying the many splendors of its mountain ranges and vast forests.
If from Belgium now living here what bought you here? the music scene? family? The move was purely circumstantial. Not a decision I would have made at that time, but seeing as I was quite young, I did not have a say in the matter. That being said, I am quite pleased with where I have nested for the time being.
What has been the biggest cultural difference living in the USA vs Europe? Besides many political differences I do not care to discuss.. I would have to say the unnecessary abundance of everything. I’m fairly certain the bigger and better mentality is not something I will ever get used to. There is also a lack of ritual through home cooking, and time spent at a table as opposed to in front of electronics. These examples may have struck me as stark differences due to the fact I grew up in rural farm surroundings.
The fact that it is dreary most of the year
What are your favorite things about living in Oregon? It’s dense woods and grey coast. The fact that it is dreary most of the year, and there are plenty of shady hideaways along glacier runoff on the off-day when it gets too warm. The city is currently very accessible if the urge strikes, but I plan to make my return to more rural settings when the time is right.
My passion only grows.
How did you get into Black metal? What was your “gateway” band so to speak? I was introduced to bands like Satyricon, Summoning, Darkthrone, Burzum, Moonsorrow, and Dissection in my early teenage years. Someone quite a few years my senior left me with some cassettes and an old CD binder, enough study material for a few years at least. It was my first passion, and I knew fairly shortly thereafter it would stick with me forever. I eventually worked my way backwards to a lot of first wave bands and other extreme metal. My passion only grows.
Were you playing any instruments before you got into Black metal? I have been playing guitar since I was 10. I played in multiple punk bands in my youth, and always had solo projects simultaneously, though never made public.
How did your deal with iron Bonehead come about? Are you happy with the promotion they have done so far? IBP reached out to me shortly after the first run of the “Embraced..” EP was out. So far I am very pleased with our collaboration, and look forward to what the future holds.
I am only concerned with furthering the consciousness of the self.
If I am not mistaken Hulder is the name of mother of Odin – are you an Odinist at all? If not what faith do you practice/follow? I am not aware of any mythology referring to Hulder as the mother of Odin nor do I practice a faith of any kind. I am only concerned with furthering the consciousness of the self.
Have you played live before and if so how was it for you? HULDER has made one live appearance. It was a satisfactory experience, but only a small glimpse into what is to come for those who got to witness it.
Are there any plans to play live? I absolutely plan on live performances. Things are quite uncertain at this point due to the plague of our time, but hopefully circumstance will allow for a tour within the next year or so.
What can we expect from Hulder in 2020 and beyond? A full length, some unspoken announcements to accompany said release, and of course more Dark Medieval Black Metal at full force.
Any final words? Your questions and interest are much appreciated. Gezondheid to you and anyone reading this.
This week we spoke with Spanish Doom/ Death veterans Evadne – read on
First of congrats on the new album – anyone who has been in a band knows how hard it is to keep it going you guys have been going for nearly 20 years now – what is your secret?
PASSION, I THINK THERE IS NO MORE SECRETS IN THIS WORLD.
I love the artwork for Dethroned Of Our Souls who came up with that? What’s the story behind the art?
WE WANTED TO MIX THE ART COVER OF OUR FIRST DEMO WITH ART COVER OF THE E.P “DETHRONED OF LIGHT”, THE ARTISTIC RESULT WAS FROM THE COVER DESIGNER (VLADIMIR PROKOFIEV). IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL RESULT
Lyrically what inspires your guys?
EVERY THING. NOT JUST ANY KIND OF ARTISTIC EXPRESSION. ALSO FEELINGS, LANDSCAPES, PERSONAL SITUATIONS. IN ART EVERYTHING IS VALID
How did you guys get into heavy music were you death metal fans before becoming doom metal fans? What were the bands that lead you on this journey?
OF COURSE, WHEN WE START LISTENING METAL MUSIC THE DOOM METAL STYLE DIDN’T HAVE THE SOUND THAT HAS INFLUENCED US. AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 90’S SOME BANDS START TO DO A NEW MUSIC THAT REALLY HYPNOTIZES US. BANDS LIKE ANATHEMA, PARADISE LOST, MY DYING BRIDE, KATATONIA, THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE AND A GREAT SOURCE OF INSPIRATION FOR US.
I imagine the Spanish scene as being more death and black metal bands than doom – how are you guys received in Spain?
HERE THE THINGS ARE COMPLICATED, ALTHOUGT FOR THE BLACK AND DEATH METAL BANDS. HERE THE PEOPLE PREFER TO LISTEN HEAVY, ROCK FOLK METAL AND OTHER TYPES OF METAL
Is Spain your best place to play or are you better received in other European territories? If so which ones?
IN THE CENTER –WEST EUROPE THERE ARE MORE CULTURE OF EXTREME MUSIC, WE PREFER TO PLAY THERE. IN THIS PLACES THE PEOPLE GO TO CONCERTS OF DOOM METAL, IT’S A FACT.
I know you guys have done a decent amount of touring over the years – what’s been your best and worst gig so far and why?
THE BEST IS COMPLICATED TO DECIDE, WE HAVE PLAYED IN GREAT FESTIVALS LIKE:
FROM DUSK TILL DOOM IN BELGIUM, MADRID IS THE DARK (SPAIN), DUTCH DOOM DAYS (HOLLAND), MALTA DOOM FESTIVAL, HARD ROCK LAAGER (ESTONIA), AUTUMN SOULS OF SOFIA (BULGARIA), DARK SESSIONS IN ROMANIA, DOOM HEART FEST (ITALY), AND MANY MORE. WE CAN’T CHOOSE CAUSE THERE ARE ALWAYS FUNNY AND FUN EXPERIENCES. SOME DIFFICULT EXPERIENCE BUT NOTHING TOO BAD…SOMETIMES WE HAVE LOST FLIGHTS, THE LONG HOURS OF TRAVELING ON THE ROAD ARE THE WORST PART BUT WE ARE FUN PEOPLE AND WE HAD A GOOD TIME.
Have you played any American concerts to date? If not any plans to tour the USA?
NOT FOR THE MOMENT, WE WERE CLOSE TO GO BUT AT THE END WAS NOT POSSIBLE, HOPE WE CAN GO SOON AND MEET ALL OUR AMERICAN FRIENDS.
Has any of the band members ever visited the USA if so what did you think of it?
NOT FOR THE MOMENT. WE HOPE TO DO IT.
What can we expect from the band in 2020?
WE ARE IMMERSED IN THE CREATION OF NEW SONGS FOR THE NEXT ALBUM AND WE HAVE SOME GIGS FOR THE SECOND PART OF OUR IBERIAN TOUR (SPAIN)
Any final words?
THANK YOU FOR THE INTERVIEW AND THANK YOU TO THE READERS WHO TAKE THEIR TIME TO READ IT. STAY DOOM!
Czech/Ukranian/Russian Post Black Metal band Chernaa have a new album out June 9th and this week I talked to them about their record deal, meaning of the band name and juggling band members from 3 different countries – check it out
How did the record deal with Noizr come about?
Noizr founder Dmytro and me (Nexus) met around six years ago and since then we’ve hung out a lot and worked together (I was helping him with Noizr occasionally). On February 2019 I was doing some work in Hertz studio in Poland (the temple of the Polish black metal, the place where were recordings of Behemoth, Vader, Decapitated and Hate born) and during my stay in Poland I made a few calls with Dmytro and we agreed on a good deal between Chernaa and Noizr. Generally, guys from Noizr are really responsive, disposed and competent in their field, so we’re really happy to work with them. – Nexus
You guys are listed as a Czech Republic/Ukraine/Russian band – how does that work?
With Hedonist (the vocalist), we were communicating via the internet and managed to record the whole album, despite the 6000 Km between us, which was, by the way, a rare and amazing experience. Nexus speaks both Russian and Czech, so it wasn’t a problem. Hedonist also speaks English, as the rest of the band does. – Solipsist
The only requirement we had for the vox was that it would be a high pitched shriek
How did you all meet?
When I first moved to Prague I was introduced to Solipsist. At the time, they were looking for a guitar player with his prog-metal band, which I joined. Then after nearly 3 years, we joined another post-rock band together and Nexus was the one who mixed and mastered our full-length album. The band, unfortunately, fell apart soon after, but we stayed in touch with Nexus and decided to create a new band. We started to hang out a lot and write music at Nexuses place. And at that time my friend told me that he knows a drummer who was skilled enough to play the drums for a post-black metal band, so we hit him up and he agreed to play with us. At that point, we just needed to find vocals. The only requirement we had for the vox was that it would be a high pitched shriek, rather than those lower pitched types of vocals. We were looking all over the Czech internet, without any response though. That is when my Russian friend came in (he lives in Prague as well) and he wanted to help with finding a vocalist since his birth town in Russia offered many talented people, that like black metal. And so he found us vocalist, Hedonist the Poisoned, from Krasnoyarsk. – Solipsist, Utsuro
Have any of the band visited the USA before – if so did they like it?
None of us has been to the US yet, but hopefully, we can change that in the future. We all like travelling and we would like to visit some exotic destinations as well. Utsuro just returned from his trip to Japan. Our journey as a band has just begun and we hope, that our music will allow us to visit many beautiful places. – Nihilist
if you put that together with metal friendly themes that we like (like nihilism, existentialism etc) it works the best for us
How did you guys get into Black Metal? What bands have been your biggest influences?
Everyone of us has a rich history with metal music. I would say that all of our members are open to different subgenres of metal. What I think everyone prefers about black metal, is the fact that it focuses more on the song structure as a story. It’s not really about bragging that you can play technically, it is not about showing your shred off. It is more about focusing on how it sounds together, rather than everyone shredding at the same time. It is about sacrificing your own playing for the sake of the bigger picture – the atmosphere of the song, or the story that it has to unveil. It is also like that in post-rock, which we like and if you put that together with metal friendly themes that we like (like nihilism, existentialism etc) it works the best for us. Metal music nowadays also seems very rhythmically based. Some of us grew tired of that, and that’s why we would prefer a wall-of-sound genre. With all this being said, post-black metal seemed like the right choice for us. Now let us get to some concrete influences. From the second wave of black, I’d say old Darkthrone for the raw/frostbitten riffs and high pitched vocals, Burzum for the sheer black metal energy and rpg feel to it. From the third wave of black metal, I’d say all the melodic stuff, like Lantlos, Alcest, Deafheaven, Russian and Ukrainian bands like Drudkh and Sivyj Yar, Ultar and so on. We often listen to a lot of heavy black metal
(Yellow Eyes, Krallice, Mgla, Deathspell Omega, Akhlys…) and we get inspired by the heaviness and possibly write our material more melody drenched. – Solipsist
What is pink powder about?
At the moment, when the text of this track was born, I was experiencing a strong emotional pain and longing. A man who has exhausted in himself all the vital and emotional forces, seeking peace and humility from within. This song is about the internal pain of a tired man. – Hedonist
this transient awareness of the nothingness that triggers emotional responses that are too mysterious and profound
What does the band name mean?
The name “Chernaa (tʃeərnɑː)” symbolises the feeling that life is meaningless and that we are utterly insignificant when compared to the size of universe. Like the beauty of gazing vacantly into the black void and being detached from all other worries in life. As soon as the melancholy becomes the basic disposition of man, it reflects a world that has lost its firm order and human life is at the very edge of incurable disease. And it is this transient awareness of the nothingness that triggers emotional responses that are too mysterious and profound and which we are trying to capture with our music. – Utsuro
What can we expect from Chernaa for the rest of 2019?
We’re currently extensively working on the new material, which is halfly done, hope to finish the next album within a year. There’s a lot of new ideas and we’re pushing our development, to make the next record more miscellaneous, complex and surely more professional. Fans could look forward to genre diversity, there will be shoegaze, prog and post-metal influences as well as heavier black metal and black-death songs. At the same time, we’re rehearsing a lot and hope to start actively performing and touring from the second half of 2019. We’re also open to any booking offers. – Nexus
The purpose behind what we do is to document and share an expressive interpretation of strong and dark emotions like depression, anger and melancholy
Any final words?
The purpose behind what we do is to document and share an expressive interpretation of strong and dark emotions like depression, anger and melancholy. While not all people can exhaust their negative emotions through a grim artform, there always might people who do, same as us. And if someone happens to be one of those people, then we would be glad if you discover our music. – Solipsist
Automb are a new Black metal band coming out of the Pittsburgh area that are already getting attention of all the major metal media outlets. Formed by Serge (ex Necrophagia), Danielle and Scott Fuller (Morbid Angel) today we sat down with them to find out all we can on this new band.
How did you guys meet?
We met through going to the same metal shows.
When did you decide to form Automb?
We formed Automb in the fall of 2017. It was a way for us to collaborate musically as well as a way for Serge to create black metal on the side while doing Necro.
I think it was from watching crazy church burning/murder, suicide documentaries about bands like Mayhem and Burzum
How did you get into Black metal? What was the one band that “did it” for
you?
Danielle: I was big into death metal for a while when I first started listening to metal and then I just started to venture off more and more. Immortal was one of the first black metal bands I listened to, then I got into the subgenres within black metal so DSBM, atmospheric black metal, etc. I would say bands like Watain, Rotting Christ, Deathspell Omega and Belphegor are the bands that “did it” the most for me.
Serge: I think it was from watching crazy church burning/murder, suicide documentaries about bands like Mayhem and Burzum. It was the next extreme thing for me in the evolution of metal. After that I discovered the whole Scandinavian scene and so on. I can’t pick a single band. But it was definitely bands like Emperor, Dissection, Gorgoroth, Satyricon and Immortal that made me want to write Black Metal.
What bands would you rate as influences on Automb?
Danielle: For me personally Watain and Dissection were huge influences on my lyrical content for sure.
Serge how long have you been playing guitar for?
13 years
What was your set up like for this album (guitar and amp)
I used an ESP LTD Eclipse and a peavey 6505+ head with a Mesa cab.
Eventually I ended joining Haxxan
How did you get into playing guitar for Necrophagia?
I used to play drums for a local black metal band around Pittsburgh and we got to open up for Taake and Killjoy happened to be at the show. He came up to my merch table to say that he really enjoyed my drumming and We ended up talking about all the Black Metal legends and burning churches for a good while and then he told me that he had a new black metal side project and he needed a drummer so he gave me his number and eventually I ended joining Haxxan. We spent about 2 or 3 months on rehearsals. One night I got the call to join the band as the guitarist and we had a show to do in 2 weeks and that was that.
What was it like to work with Killjoy?
It was easy and hard. It depended on what we were doing. We got along pretty well for the most part but we had our fights after stressful days. We had our disagreements but we eventually worked things out. He ended up agreeing to use most of my ideas for the new album.
We met Scott at the Morbid Angel gig in Pittsburgh
How did you guys get Scott from Morbid Angel to work with you?
We met Scott at the Morbid Angel gig in Pittsburgh earlier this year. Serge ended up getting his number and all that. We originally had another drummer do half of the tracks. We won’t mention who it is but we ended up going our separate ways. We had a deadline with the label and were looking for a drummer and Scott offered to help.
I mainly identify with the practice of witchcraft in all forms
Did either of you practice any religions if so what ones?
Danielle: I have considered myself to be “pagan” for quite a few years now. Throughout that time thought I have engaged more closely with varying subsectors of the occult or pagan belief systems. I mainly identify with the practice of witchcraft in all forms. I believe nature is the most holy and powerful place and it is through nature that we can directly communicate with the divine.
Serge: I wouldn’t call it religion but I do follow some paths that include paganism, hinduism, witchcraft, left hand path and other esoteric practices. I don’t like to conform to one single path because to me that’s only a small step away from Christianity
Have you ever had any strange psychic or occult experiences?
Danielle: Yes, plenty. I’ve been in tune with the spiritual realm for as long as I can remember.
Serge: Yes a few.
Have you played any live shows as Automb yet?
Not yet.
If not when can we expect to see you guys play live?
We have a show on November 2nd in Turtle Creek, PA.
And let the black flame inside be your guide!
Any final words?
We have a new lyric video coming out today!
For those of you in the Black metal scene who have been living in a cave since 1995 Xasthur was one of the most ground breaking Black metal acts on the American scene. In recent years Scott has re-invented Xasthur as a doom grass trio. This week we spoke to him about the old days and the future.
I am going to split this into two parts first dealing with the modern incarnation of Xasthur and then the old days
* You’ve talked in the past on how you moved into Doom grass as what you were doing with the original Xasthur just wasn’t working for you anymore. What made you wait so long to make the change?
I think running out of ideas with black metal was happening and a big part of what made the change, it was becoming a struggle no matter what I did or threw in to it. With acoustic playing, I never run out of songs, riffs, lyrics and ideas, so I’m naturally going to go with what works best and what I’m feeling. I wanted to talk about reality in the music.
The old Xasthur was a blur
* Do you think many of your old fans understand what you are trying to achieve with Xasthur 2.0?
Some do and some don’t. I don’t think there’s anything lacking in the 2.0. The foundation is there, the music is technical and strange enough without all the effects getting in the way of that. The old xasthur was a blur, the new is not.
* How did you find Chris and Rachel? And what was the process of them joining the band? ( e.g. straight up auditions or organically happened? or? )
it was more organic or fell into place really. Chris found a way of learning maybe a dozen of the songs on his own time then he let me know about it, that he could handle doing this. After that, Chris and I went to a festival in Washington, met Rachel, we got along with her pretty well and found out she could play bass, after that she started playing with us.
I’m usually very surprised by the support and turn out in LA.
* You have done a couple of tours with the Doom grass Xasthur so far – what’s been the most fun place to play and why?
I enjoy playing most places, really. I enjoy Texas a lot, I like playing most of the big cities because people actually do show up in bigger numbers and listen more than they used to. I’m usually very surprised by the support and turn out in LA.
* My friend caught you guys recently in NYC and said you seemed really happy being out on the road, basically that it agrees with you. Do you think that’s true? If so what advice can you give our readers for staying sane on the road?
This is true. I don’t have much of a home life, there’s nothing here for me so I enjoy traveling on the road much more. It’s more of a direct way of conveying the music, either during, before or after the shows with people. My advice would be to be grateful for the chance to do it, to go to places you normally wouldn’t have the chance to go to, look at the positives in it, do it for the music, to say something and be heard with the chance. Look forward to playing better each night and play every show as if it were your last because not much music has any staying power these days.
Prophecy isn’t afraid to take chances on music that’s different
* How did you hook up with your new record company Prophecy Productions ? They seem to be a progressive minded company and are looking to make big in roads here in the USA
The old fashion way, they just contacted me one day on the phone, started talking about it, they showed interest for real. Prophecy isn’t afraid to take chances on music that’s different. So far, I get along with the staff pretty well.
* After Prophecy fest in NYC what can we expect next from you?
A lot. Later this year Xasthur will be recording a new proper album at a real studio, before and after that, there’s a few festivals coming up (shadow woods, prophecy and power of the riff) and then touring will be mandatory again.
Ok here are some questions about the old days
* I think you once said you made the switch from playing Death Metal to One man Black metal as you couldn’t find many like minded musicians in your area. Do you think that if you had stumbled on other musicians you liked your musical output would have been drastically different or much the same?
I think it would’ve been compromised, back then, if I had met other musicians. I think the productivity would’ve been slowed down. It used to be hard to find musicians that are for real in LA and it still is. I was getting nowhere trying to be in bands with people and vice versa, no one believes in anyone.
* Do you remember how you got into Black Metal? What was your “gateway” band? What appealed to you about Black metal more than Death Metal?
That is a good question. It might not have been a black metal band that made that transition for me, it might have been Thergothon.
It was taxing and it was difficult
* For me personally those first few Xasthur albums really pushed the boundaries of Black Metal – did you find creating that style of BM mentally and physically taxing on you or could you separate art from yourself?
It was taxing and it was difficult after a while to do things with my own style and approach but ALSO trying to keep it something new!
* Are there any Black metal bands that you find these days that are interesting?
Not really.
* Any final words?
Thanks for the interest and questions. Sorry I couldn’t make this more of a black metal interview but I’m burnt out on it, but I’m probably not the only one.
Xasthur play Prophecy fest in NYC November 3rd – see here for more info
We spoke to Christy and Laurie of Ails back in Feb 0f 2017 for our women in Black Metal round table. It was high time we caught up with the band to talk about their killer new album “The Unraveling” read on!
* Congrats on the new album I feel you guys are yet again pushing the boundaries of Black metal and that’s a good thing – what was the songwriting process like on “the Unraveling” ?0
Sam- Christy had Bitter Past & Mare Weighs Down written when I joined Colby, Christy, & Laurie in the band. Since then it has been a back and forth between myself and Christy on song writing. For example I wrote Dead Metaphors, then Christy wrote The Echoes Waned, then I wrote Any Spark of Life, then Christy wrote The Ruin. Once we bring the riffs and arrangement ideas to practice, it becomes a full collaboration between everyone. Parts and arrangement such as riff order and length of parts will get tweaked according to any ideas anyone has. Really it’s the same with drums and Vocals. Colby puts drums to it and sometimes a suggestion to tweak a thing here or there will be made and we try it. Laurie writes all her lyrics and lays down the cadence. Christy does the same on any vocals she might be doing closely working with Laurie. Christy and I will write our solos and add our harmonies if there are any, and the inner rhythms and pulse of it all just fall into place over time through good old-fashioned feel.
* Where did you record the album? I love the production, it is raw but still has a great sense of song structure and melody something too many BM bands forgo in trying to be “grim and frostbitten”
Sam- Brad did a great job with that! I’ve heard other people referring to the production as raw. I agree its not a slick production but I don’t really consider it to be all that raw. One thing though is it’s pretty real. Meaning we didn’t use a lot of the standard studio tricks predominantly heard in modern metal, the main one being fully triggered drums. It’s amazing how much more organic it sounds with the lack of the “perfection” that a drum trigger forward mix brings. Colby plays a lot with different hits depending on the feeling of it all. He ebbs and flows with volume and intensity and I would hate to lose that. I think the album is a deeper experience over all because of that choice. To be clear I have nothing against albums with a ton of drum trigger or studio perfection. I like it on a lot of what I listen to, but I don’t think it was right for us on this one. We wanted it to sound like us as much as possible, and we got fairly close I think.
* Congrats on the new album I feel you guys are yet again pushing the boundaries of Black metal and that’s a good thing – what was the songwriting process like on “the Unraveling” ?
Laurie-Thank you so much, we are thrilled that you love it!! It was a slow but steady process. Christy and Colby started out mostly practicing a few songs that Christy wrote, then I joined and then when we got a 2nd guitarist (Sam) and bass player (originally Eli) to join, Sam wrote songs too, we started practicing more regularly and things became more cohesive and together. For me, after each song is mostly composed, I usually figure out the placement of where to put in the vocal parts and then complete the lyrics, because it works better for me that way and I want it all to fit in the song as dynamically and as uniquely as possible.
* Did you find that you and the rest of the band going through a period of heavily listening to a certain artist or genre before the writing of the album? if so who? I gotta think you guys have a pretty eclectic taste in music and I don’t just mean BM (I know some bands when they are in “writing mode” will not listen to anybody as they do not want to subconsciously pick up influences).
Laurie- For myself, I’m always listening to music daily and have my headphones on whenever I leave my front door, so every day involves some form of influence or inspiration, but over these more recent years I’ve mostly been rediscovering music I loved from when I was younger..I felt influenced and inspired from metal bands like Bethlehem and Ved Buens Ende, doom like Cathedral, Swedish doom like Runemagick, to revisiting my favorites from when I was still in youth, like Peter Gabriel-era Genesis, Deep Purple, Bowie, MC5, Neil Young, Patty Smith, Roxy Music, Nico, , Lee Hazlewood, Nina Simone, Bauhaus, Laughing Hyeanas. I’ve been currently obsessed with Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats, Algiers and Dirtmusic for weeks now…but I’m sure it will fluctuate again soon. Not very metal of me but I’m 48 now so I kinda don’t give a hoot. ha! And we all have very broad and diverse tastes in music. The list is never-ending for all of us I think!
Like the late great Martin Eric Ain of Celtic Frost once said – “There are more feelings to express than just aggression and destruction.”
* Where did you record the album? I love the production, it is raw but still has a great sense of song structure and melody something too many BM bands forgo in trying to be “grim and frostbitten”
Laurie- It was recorded by Brad Kobylczak at New Improved Studio and Moon Dog Studio. Mixed by brad at Condemned Studio and mastered by Dan Randall at Mammoth Studio.
I do agree with you overall and also like the production. There are a few things about the recording process I hope to try differently next time but yes it was a great experience. I don’t think that we are a traditional necro/atmospheric-sounding bm band with 100’s of layers, and I believe we are more comparable to a heavy metal/rock band sound, which is why it’s important to have all instruments, vocals included, equally heard, rather than a low-fi/pushed back deep and far away in the cave sound or as you say “grim and frostbitten” I think that type of production and mix wouldn’t work very well with our material. Much of the song-writing and guitars do have a great melodic almost organic quality that I too love a lot, I’ve always been a huge fan of how Christy writes guitar melodies. Like the late great Martin Eric Ain of Celtic Frost once said – “There are more feelings to express than just aggression and destruction.” There you go..
* Did you try anything new in the studio that you had not done before as Ludicra?
Laurie- For me personally, I wanted to to do more clean singing harmonies as I feel it adds a whole other layer of lush heaviness and somber sadness and dynamics, although this is basically the same thing I’ve been doing for many years in Ludicra so I’m not sure much has changed for me during the recording process.
The thing she misses the most is being able to see a mind-blowing bill of bands every other week here
* You and Christy are pretty much “veterans” of the Bay Area Black metal scene – how would you say the scene has changed for the best in the last 10 years?
Laurie- I think maybe there are just a lot more bands, most of which are incredible. There is a sense of pride here because there are truly so many really good local bands. A friend in Portland recently told me that the thing she misses the most is being able to see a mind-blowing bill of bands every other week here. And there are so many great musicians here, young and old! There is a great sense of community and support towards one another, it’s one of the reasons to try to stick it out and stay despite the insufferable rents and lack of affordable and fair housing for all.
* And in what ways has it gotten worse?
Laurie-Well we could go the opposite I suppose and say that since there are so many bands here, we have become spoiled in a way which could also lead to more “jaded” interpretations of the Bay Area metal scene.” I suppose music can sometimes also be a tricky thing here in our Bay Area and you can’t always satisfy or connect with everyone.
Tech, realtors, greed, speculation etc have definitely affected the live music scene in SF
* Speaking of getting worse – I love how an amazing music scene has flourished in the Bay Area for the last at least, 50 years but with all of the Tech money coming into town has that been much of a detrimental effect on the live music scene?
Laurie- As much as I try my best to support local shows in SF(I’m one of the few left living here), yes tech, realtors, greed, speculation etc have definitely affected the live music scene in SF. Some venues no longer exist and the ones that still do, often struggle to have well-attended shows. So many artists have had to vacate the city, it’s become a rather square and aloof “ignore thy neighbor” environment. There are still a few gems left in SF and even a few new ones despite the mass gentrification but it’s not the same and sadly never will be the city of freaks that I once loved so dearly. Oakland carries the torch for music, especially metal, I’m glad to be able to bart over and see all the good folks, good shows and of course my bandmates!
* We all know unless you are Dimmu Borgir or Cradle of Filth Black metal is more of a labor of love than a career option – what does everyone in the band do to keep themselves alive? (day jobs)
Laurie- I’m working as a Supportive Housing Case Manager/Money Manager for formerly homeless folks in SF. It’s a labor of love as well. I’ve recently come to accept that I take on a higher level of vicarious trauma-related stress than I wanted to believe, so I’m working on better self-care and better health in order to continue doing the other things I love, mostly being in Ails. I try my best to stay afloat despite the frustrations of the “most expensive city now in America” and all the very complex social and political disparities that exist here. Hey at least I’m in still here, rather than somewhere like Alabama, it could be a lot worse!!
* Have you played the new songs live much yet? If so what song(s) have gone over live the best to date?
Laurie- Ha! We’ve been playing the same 6 songs for almost 3 years now! We hope to have new ones very soon.
* Have any of audience reactions surprised you?
Laurie- I may not be best one to know or answer but it seems that most of our songs seem to go over live pretty well, we’ve learned over the years that some don’t seem to have the same effect as some others though.
* Are we going to see you guys on the East Coast this year?
Laurie- At this point,it’s not very likely, but I’m sure we will get to NY and hopefully surrounding area for a short tour in 2019 at least.
We would love to play more festivals as well
* Any touring plans in place yet?
Laurie – We can’t do long tours due to life,work schedules, and sometimes for me personally, getting older.. but we will do a few short mini-tours up and down West Coast and hope to get over to East Coast and Europe properly and eventually. We would love to play more festivals as well! We just played the incredibly well-run fest – Northwest Terror Fest in Seattle and it was such a wonderful experience for all. We all try our best to juggle our schedules but it’s more challenging to do so for longer touring.
* Any final words?
Laurie – Getting to perform again and be in a band again, especially with people I love and respect as friends…it has been the most uplifting and enjoyable thing for me in many years, just grateful to keep doing it for as long as it can go. Thank you so much!
Ghastly is one of the best death metal bands to come about in the last 10 years today I caught up with Ian from the band to chat about The Tampere Music Scene, How you can’t street drink in California and much more.
Hi Ian, congratulations on your 2nd album ‘Death Velour”, loving the sound of it
* How did you guys approach the song writing of this album compared to your first album?
After the first album I only had one song ready and it took me few years to start developing new songs, but after that hiatus the songs started flowing easily. There weren’t any different kind of approach compared to the first album, it was made similar way as “Carrion of Time” was songwriting-wise, but this time I had more knowledge of recording an album and I had quite clear idea how I want it to sound.
I should have learned not to record an album by myself again
* What mistakes did you learn from recording your first album that helped you this time around?
I should have learned not to record an album by myself again, but then I wouldn’t had achieved this kind of sound and control over it. Recording guitars worked so much easier this time and the sound is also better compared to the first album.
* How did you hook up with the 20 Buck Spin guys? (seems like a good fit for you) and are you happy with the job they have done so far?
I sent a promo to 20 Buck Spin, Dave liked it and wanted to hear more. After hearing the whole album, he offered us a deal. Been familiar with 20 Buck Spin’s releases for years and seeing how great quality stuff they put out, it was easy to say yes to that offer. We have been very happy with everything that 20BS has done for us. Really dedicated label and it is great to be part of their roster.
There are really great Finnish death metal bands around, new and old
* How is this death metal scene in Finland these days – its seems to me as an American we hear much more about the Finnish BM scene than the Death metal scene.. is that a fair assessment or no?
Can’t really say much about black metal, I’m not that interested in that particular genre even though there can be found some black metal kinda things in Ghastly’s music too. I like some black metal and go to few shows now and then but the people and overall atmosphere at the gigs is something that I don’t go crazy about. Don’t have any clue if Finnish black metal is a big thing in the US.
There are really great Finnish death metal bands around, new and old and it is great to be part of that scene. It’s cool that there are more unique sounding bands rather than some worship bands who take everything from influential groups, but maybe there is a place for those bands too.
* What about the Tampere metal scene? Is it very strong now?
Not huge but a good one. Not really heavy metal bars anymore but that’s a good thing because they would play some mainstream metal and rock in those bars, which usually is terrible. We have few great DJ nights around the town at least, Gassy Sam’s Pacto De Sangre for instance.
Only thing that counts is if the band is good
* Back in the early 80s Tampere had some great punk rock bands.. do you think there is a Tampere “attitude” compared to other major cities in Finland?
We have a strong punk scene here and also many metalheads are digging punk, I don’t but it doesn’t bother me that much. I haven’t paid any attention if there is an attitude going on in Tampere and I don’t really care that much. Only thing that counts is if the band is good, no matter where are they from.
Early Amorphis started showing me northern European death metal scene and I was hooked.
* Growing up how did you get into Death metal – for me bands like Morbid Angel and Death were eye openers. Whispers Through the Aether definitely has that old school Morbid Angel feel to my ears.
That’s pretty cool if you can get Morbid Angel feelings out of that song. Wasn’t any intention but “Altars of Madness” is one of my favourite DM record, so it has been a huge influence through the years. When I was in elementary school, my classmate had Cannibal Corpse and Morbid Angel albums and those were the first death metal bands I heard. Then later on Entombed’s “Left Hand Path”, early Amorphis started showing me northern European death metal scene and I was hooked.
* Has any of the band ever visited the USA before? if so what were your impressions? Many visiting Norwegians are surprised that everyone doesn’t live in like an episode of Seinfeld or Friends (ha ha)
Gassy Sam visited the States when he was a kid, so probably he doesn’t have any wild memories. I visited USA in 2016 for Frost and Fire II, Cirith Ungol’s first gig in decades. It was a cool trip and I only spent time in California. Really cool place and great scene, awesome crazy metalheads there. Good food, beers and weather, so I liked it a lot. Only things that were fucked up was that it was expensive as hell there and public drinking was extremely forbidden.
I would totally want to do tours and see the world
* I know you guys play live but it is not an important factor for your band. Is there a reason for this? Would you like to be a band that does a couple of big tours every year?
It’s hard to maintain a live band when I’m playing almost everything on the record. We are rehearsing at the moment and focusing on starting to do shows. I would totally want to do tours and see the world at the same time, rather than doing jobs but there’s bills to pay. Hopefully we can do touring as soon as possible.
* Speaking of playing live – what has been your best show so far as a band and why?
There has only been two shows till this day and I wouldn’t say any out of those were the best. Those gigs happened in 2013 and we played as a trio. Now we have added a second guitarist and our songs will definitely sound better than in 2013.
* What can we expect from the band for the rest of 2018
Hopefully few gigs, at least one is booked for September with Anatomia, Cryptic Brood, Solothus and God Disease.
* Any final words?
Thanks for this interview. Be sure to check out news and other info from our fb site and also visit 20 Buck Spins website for physical copies of the album and shirts too.
This week I spoke with Aura Noir main man Aggressor. In case you have been living under a rock the Aura Noir guys have been making black metal since back in 1985. read this and learn something new.
Congrats on your first record in 6 years
Oh, thank you
* What have you guys been doing in the interim?
Playing a few short tours and a lot of festivals, plus writing this new album.
* You have worked with Satyricon Ulver and many more – what would you say are the biggest differences between how Satyricon and Ulver work?
I played in those 2 bands more than 25 years ago. Don’t remember much, and I’m sure they have a routine worked up many years ago that wasn’t even considered when I was in those bands. I’m still in contact with the Ulver-guys, Satyricon, not so much..
* You guys got your start on Nocturno Cultos label right? How was that in the early days?
No. Actually Tyrant Syndicate was our 4th record-label. We had been on Hammerheart records, Malicious records and Hot Records before signing with Tyrant. Our first release on Tyrant was «The Merciless», which was our 4th release.
Cadaver were the first
* I saw you guys play a metal fest back in the early 2000s as part of Cadaver Inc. Would it be fair to say that Cadaver were one of the first Norwegian Extreme bands to have a worldwide release – right? How was it working with Neddo?
Well, yes. The first Cadaver album came out in 1990, so if you don’t count in Mayhem’s Deathcrush-album, yes, Cadaver were the first. But this was way before we came in to the picture. We started in 2000, I joined cause not much was happening with Aura Noir at the time and Apollyon joined later. We were ambitious, but not much came out of it, so we laid down the band. Neddo is a swell guy with lots of irons in the fire..
The music became more important than ever after my accident
* In 2005 you fell off a 4th story building and was hospitalized for many months – how has your life changed since that terrible time?
That’s a big question. It’s now 13 years ago and I’ve gradually made a good life for myself. I have some chronic pain, but I’m able to live with it. The music became more important than ever after my accident, or maybe I realized how important it always was.
* How does your output with Virus differ to your work with Aura Noir. Do you set out to write for each band individually or do you get into “blackened thrash mode” to write for A.N. or?
Well, the 2 bands are like different planets. In Aura Noir we have the music in our bloodstream, while in Virus we have to see what we can conjure up. Virus is experimental, Aura Noir is somewhat traditional.
* I know in the past you guys have demoed songs and lived with them for some time before doing the album – did you take this approach for the new album too?
Yes, we always do that. The songs has to mature. We make rehearsals and listen alot, then do the proper adjustments. This is one of the reasons that it takes so much time in between albums.
* From the thrash side what bands have been the biggest influences for Aura Noir?
Early stuff from before there were clear definitions on what was thrash and what was black metal.. There was a time when people called Celtic Frost speed metal, you know? All the early to mid eighties stuff. Venom, Slayer, the german bands, Sodom, Kreator, Destruction. The first Voivod albums, etc..
There was much more rivalry in the old days.
* You guys have been doing this since the 2nd wave of Black Metal hit Norway – how you would say the scene has changed since the early 90s?
Very much. People are much more supportive of each other now than before. There was much more rivalry in the old days.
* What do you think are the benefits of being the old guys in the scene now?
I don’t know if there are any benefits other than when it comes to making music. We are more certain on how we want to sound, and how to achieve that sound.
* If you could go back in time and give your younger selves advice what would it be?
Work harder.
It’s a way of life.
* What keeps you guys going after so many years?
Speaking for myself, music is something I need to do. It’s a necessity for me. It’s not a hobby or a job. It’s a way of life.
* I know you guys are doing a run of dates for this record – any plans for US dates this year?
No concrete plans no, but we want to go there for sure. We’ll see what we can work out for early 2019.
But South America is something special
* From memory when you last played South America the fans went nuts – would you say thats your favorite market to play or do you have other favorites?
Greece is always good. But SA is something special, yes. Wild crowds all over.
* What else can we expect from the band in 2018?
Everything will revolve around this this album. A couple of small tours. One in Australia-New Zealand, two in Europe. Plus a few festivals and one-offs.
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.
