Black Metal of the Emerald Triangle: An Interview With Lycanthromancer and Skorpius of Miasmic!!

Interview conducted via email in July 2015.

Listen and support Miasmic's music: https://miasmic.bandcamp.com/
Keep updated about Miasmic: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Miasmic/185330898175023?fref=ts

WULF:  From what I can tell, this is your first interview.   You have been in the game for almost 10 years now!   Why so mysterious?  Tell us about yourselves!

LYCANTHROMANCER:  Rising as a malevolent force from the darkness & hoary mists of these ancient Redwoods, 'MIASMIC' was forged in the year 2006. Iishtok and Lycanthromancer (then Lycanthropizer) spearheaded the project with previous percussionist, Volkane (aka S.M. Azazel from Unholy Crucifix) as a polemic reflection against the modern world. Black metal was ( and is) the appropriate platform to cast our nefarious onslaught unto the decadent cultural malaise that surrounds us. We began to hone our skills & perfect our craft of audial decimation to contend with the monotonous grain of the collective. Decisions were made and new musicians sought. Skorpius joined our ranks in 2010 & Altar in 2014. We stand unified and disciplined, as disciples of the Miasmic writ.

WULF: According to metal-archives.com, one of your lyrical themes is "transcendence".   Would you say this is accurate?   If so, can you give us any insights as to what this means exactly?   Also, are there any specific spiritual/occult beliefs that are shared by all the members of the band?   In recent years, it seems like black metal (especially USBM) has begun to split away from the traditional Satanic tropes and motifs of black metal and has become more focused on psychology, philosophy (especially existentialism and nihilism), or simply just nature itself.   How does Miasmic fit into all of this, if at all?

LYCANTHROMANCER: Lyrically we have touched upon the aspect of what lies beyond the corporeal world, those realms not known to the living or that which is unbound to our earthly perceptions. To leave the temporal plane and gain insight & forbidden knowledge into other dimensions that lie just beyond mortal reach. Hymns such as "Gravemoss", "Ephemeral Lych Gate of the Miasmic Emerger", and "In a Tomb of Flesh, I am Buried Above Ground" were written about such explorations & disdain for our fettered existence. New opuses such as "Insular Pinnacles & Visceral Divination" have more to do with spiritual ascension. To be seated upon a higher throne beyond time & being, far from the incongruous contemporary world in which we unfortunately inhabit currently. As individuals we have our own varied personal beliefs, we speak for ourselves and not as a whole. We unify under the banner of Miasmic due to our mutual beliefs and interests; self-righteousness, scorn, wrath, extreme music, elitism to name a few is what binds us together as a group. For we are creatures of the same ilk. As far as the traditional sense of "satanic" black metal, this has become more or less a pantomime. A provocative attempt at joining the herd mentality of the "scene". Now I don't mean to write it off as such completely for there are those who remain true to a Luciferian or esoteric paragon of devotion, but too many go in halfhearted with such doctrines or are only concerned with the alluring image. Miasmic stands against humanity's current metaphysical stagnation. Let us be enlightened and attuned with mannaz & resuscitate heathen volition which our predecessors purged through fervent religious swindling. We sonically embody consecration through the path of darkness.

WULF:  Your live show involves animal skulls, candelabras, spikes, and, of course, soul-crushing black/death metal!   Unfortunately, I haven't personally had the pleasure of witnessing one of your shows in the flesh, but I have good friends who can attest to your powerful live conjuring. What are you hoping to accomplish with these live assaults/rituals?   What would you say to those who are curious about attending one of your shows?   What can they expect?

LYCANTHROMANCER: Ornaments & tools used within our formulae. We seek to rekindle the bestial flame in the hearts of our spectators; adulation is irrelevant, awakening is key.  Macabre substance & barbaric imagery only enforces the affirmation we evoke. Each show a ritual and each song a passage in the tome of our black work. Other extreme manifestations will come to fruition in the near future. For now one can expect cryptic somber ambiance amidst desolate cacophony.

WULF:  Humboldt County is absolutely fucking gorgeous (according to my friends and the internet, I haven't been there personally).   Is there any specific way you draw influence from nature, such as through exploration, ritual, mind-expanding chemicals (you are in Humboldt, after all :D ), etc.?   

LYCANTHROMANCER: The call of the wild is embedded within our persona. To wander behind the redwood curtain and behold the grandeur of aeons is truly inspiring. We venerate & translate our homage through an audial medium, an ode to the ancients. The wellspring of influence flows from our return to the resemblance of the primeval & exploring the oldest remnants of the land. Whilst we have partaken the psychedelic offerings of the soil, they have served as enhancers to our personal means.

WULF:   I'm always interested in a band's non-musical influences much more than any musical ones.   Themes, atmosphere, and lyrics should be just as important the music!   Is there any literature/film/non-musical stuff that your listeners can check out that will enhance their understanding/experience of your music?   Also, is there a chance you will ever release the official lyrics for your music?

LYCANTHROMANCER:  Agreed, the literary weaving of mysticism is paramount to the art in which we exsanguinate from our psyche. We have drawn inspiration from the works of Evola, Nietzsche, Crowley, Jung, & Pagan ideology to bate. A nihilistic/ atavist perspective is desired. Whatever stirs the waters of our intellect. Upon the topic of lyrics we would definitely like to incorporate them within our releases yet as of late we have rushed our ephemera. Those who seek to gaze upon our text must simply contact us.

SKORPIUS: I think I've always been drawn towards art, literature, and film that explores abstract, supernatural, and dark or grotesque themes. Some favorites include H.P. Lovecraft, Nietzsche, Stephen King, Clive Barker, David Lynch, Terry Gilliam, Salvador Dali, and H.R. Giger. 

WULF:  I'd like to go back a bit into your past.   Miasmic has been around since 2006, but you finally got a permanent bass player (Altar) just last year.   How did you find this dude, and is he involved with any other bands?   Is the metal scene small there, or were you just waiting to find "the right person"?  Also, you mentioned a few years ago on your Facebook page that you had found a bass player for one of your live shows.   Did this ever work out?  I can only ever find pictures of you guys performing as a three-piece.

LYCANTHROMANCER: The metal scene here is rather minuscule with any worthwhile musicians being transitory (we are located in a college town). Few have been auditioned with none being exemplary throughout the years. Miasmic remained a strong force to be reckoned with as a three piece. However, we felt limited with what we could instigate live as a trio. Until we met Altar. Altar approached us sometime last year & inquired about us needing a bass player. He auditioned, quickly picked up our material, and exhibited the dedication we sought in an initiate without any other musical endeavors. He is a permanent member of our sect & collaborates in the creation process. Hail Altar! While Miasmic remains our primary focus, other projects are active. Iishtok beats skins and bronze for death/grind hounds Sadistic Hallucinations & Skorpius provides artillery for death/thrash horde Infernal Damnation. 

WULF:   You released the mayhemic "Spectral Wrath" full-length in 2013. You also recently re-released your first album, "Amongst the Ancient Ones", which was remastered and also features brand new artwork.   It seems like maybe you felt that the original mastering wasn't the best, but why the change in artwork?   Who did the art for the re-release?    What are your plans for 2015 and the near future?  Any new music, tours, shows, music videos, etc.?

SKORPIUS: We've basically been teaching ourselves how to record music with each release. The first time around, we didn't really know about things like master bus compression, limiters, etc. so we just released the album with every song pushed into the red to make it loud enough. Once I started learning more about all the steps involved in music post-production, I went back to the original recordings and started messing around with them, just trying to practice and learn more about the whole process. It wasn't really until I showed the rest of the band my re-mastered version that we decided to reprint the album. At first we were going to use the original cover image, but one day I was browsing on MoonRing Design's website, and something jumped out at me, so we decided to also revamp the artwork. The back cover is actually the same on both versions of the album. 

LYCANTHROMANCER: The latter half of the year will see the unveiling of our third full length offering as well as a west coast tour thereafter. Miasmic will not cease. Our art will only intensify & evolve.

Interview with Prostitution!!

Interview conducted via email in April, 2013.
Check them out at:
http://www.prostitution666.com/
http://prostitution.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Prostitution666


WULF: OK, so from what I can tell this is one of your first interviews. I hate asking questions like this, but we should probably get it out of the way. Who are you? How did your band come about being formed? Do you play in any other metal bands? How would you describe your style of heavy music? And why is your band name "Prostitution"??

PROSTITUTION: we are three dudes playing some form of progressive black metal out of brooklyn who have been in a few other bands in the area. ben(drums) and jesse(bass) met at a wedding on long island. russ(guitar) and jesse we already trying to put a band together at the time. we figured we'd call it prostitution because it is a very very good name.

WULF: You have two releases now under your belt, the last one being the "Listless" EP that was released this year. What were you hoping to accomplish this release? How has the reception been for it so far?

PROSTITUTION: seeing the cover art realized was as much an impetus for the release of the listless 7" as anything else really. when we though of the neon pink sign, we had it commissioned. it will be finding a semi-permenent home at 7B in alphabet city. yeah, the sign is pretty good. the music is not bad either. people are digging it. we want to get our stuff out there and put it into peoples hands, get others to hear it.



WULF: NYC is quite the hotspot for metal these days, with black metal in particular. Krallice, Castevet, Negative Plane, Black Anvil, Liturgy... do you see yourself related to this "scene" in any way or do you prefer to not get involved in all that drama?

PROSTITUTION: we woud love to play with any of the bands you just mentioned.

WULF: Thematically what are your lyrics all about? Obviously you guys are talented musicians, but is your music more on the serious side or would it be better suited for a fucking ragin' house party? Maybe both?? Are you influenced by any other music, metal or otherwise?

PROSTITUTION: first off, we like to party; although i can't say we adhere to a specific pre conceived theme. whatever may be happing at the time, or whatever is handy, these are the things that make it into whatever we may be dong at any given time. that being said, we like to take care of business. some of us listen to a great deal of metal, others of us are more eclectic in our tastes. we try to make heavy music that has melody and goes somewhere. we feel a lot of what is out there now retreads the same formulas and sounds. we focus a great deal on quality control. it is important to avoid restating the same message again and again and again.



WULF: You released a video for "This Culture of Yours Is Interesting at Best", which I enjoyed! Do you have any plans to make a video for a song off of the "Listless" EP, like the title track?

PROSTITUTION: ya know, our good friend joachim azoulay was in town from paris at the time, so we shot that. he happens to be a wonderful camera, director kind of guy, so we shot that video on impulse and it came out pretty cool. we would love to shoot another one and might do so soon, as he is on his way out this summer.



WULF: I like to really geek out in some of my interviews...do you recommend any good literature or books that may or may not have influenced your band? Also, just wondering if you guys are into role-playing games??

PROSTITUTION: have you checked out the 33 1/3 series? those are really cool. funny you should ask about gaming, as russ spent about 40 hours a week or so playing rpgs from 5th to 10th grade. as of right now, why, do you know anybody looking to form a d&d group?

WULF: Have you guys played many shows or toured? How has the crowd reacted so far to your performance? What can someone expect from witnessing a live Prostitution ritual??

PROSTITUTION: we play here and there around the area and have done some very small scale tours. we try to make performances heavy, fast, and brutal. we also have fun. people seem to be enjoying what we are doing, so that is encouraging.



WULF: Plans for the future? Tours, full-length LPs, manifestos, etc.? Let us know!

PROSTITUTION: dinner, beer, rehearsal...we will keep putting out music and evolving as a band and as individuals.

WULF: OK, that's all the questions for now! Any final words??

PROSTITUTION: thanks to all that support us. this is fun.

Interview with Wizard of Accursed Wound!!

Interview conducted via email in August, 2012.

http://accursedwound.bandcamp.com/

WULF: To my knowledge, this is the first Accursed Wound interview...tell us a bit about the band as far as its origins and its members. What do you hope to accomplish as a group?

WIZARD: Thanks for having us!! The band is relatively new, we’ve been playing together for a year now. Aaron (Orc) and I (Wizard) have been musical cohorts for a while now and share a passion for all types of metal. We recruited our friend Dean (Aeden) specifically for this project, he’s insane. We met Simon (Grimhilt) in a tavern during our travels and he joined our cause. Sei played keyboards for us on the record but isn’t a regular member, Aeden might take on that role for live shows. As far as a band goal?... We’d like to continue putting out fantasy themed black metal records and possibly some ambient instrumentals.

WULF: While I hate asking about a band's inspirations as it's usually the same answers every time, I'm curious as to what are some of Accursed Wound's main inspirations, both musical and literary?

WIZARD: I really can’t speak for everyone on this front, however, I can say that we all love hard science fiction and fantasy and we are all very much into dark themed role-playing games. Musically, me and Aaron were big into thrash, grindcore, sludge and extreme shit in general but also loved the emotional power and dramatic effect of classical music... Prokofiev, Bartok, Holst, Stravinsky. So the obvious next step was to put out something close to symphonic black metal, we are big fans of the greats like Dimmu, Bal Sagoth, Nile, Emperor. We gave it our best shot to put forth an authentic sounding record that could tell a tale we could all agree on, so naturally dark fantasy. Thanks for that question.

WULF: Your lyrics involve grim tales of dungeon exploration, morbid sacrifices, demons, trolls, the undead, etc. Would you care to elaborate what drives you to record such macabre visions, as well as perhaps some of the overall themes depicted on the album? Does the band promote a specific philosophy or message? What is the most ideal way for the listener to experience your music?

WIZARD: umm... Some of the lyrics are sort of compiled fragments from old D&D campaigns I’ve played. But the majority of it is basically a story of a necromancer or lich from the underworld who is gaining power on the surface, destroying villages and raising an undead army. The trick of it all is that a spell has been cast, so while humans are fighting their above ground crusades, the undead army is growing, when the dead are hauled back into the city they awaken and ransack the place. There’s also a bit(Dungeon Crawling) on heroes who have been contracted to venture down and kill the Lich only to be raised as undead warriors themselves. So yeah, i’d love to see this made into a film... or better yet a D&D adventure module. Maybe we’ll include a module with our next record! ...And finally i would say first that the best way to listen to any metal record is to read the lyrics along with the music, I remember doing this with Butchered at Birth when I first got into metal, because i couldn’t understand the words. It made the record awesome and more listenable for me. I’d say Listen to Embrace the Forge in a low light subterranean environment.. or driving recklessly at high speeds. Nothing in between. haha

WULF: Are there any future plans to perform live or tour? What is the black metal scene like in your region of the US, and do you associate with it?
WIZARD: We have played this material out live only twice and since the band is kind of spread across the country right now we don’t really know. A regional tour is definitely something we’d like to do, though it might involve new members or stripping down to a smaller group. Regardless of the difficulties there will be more live shows. We are’nt really involved in the scene here, since we are so new, but there’s definitely a lot going on here in the bay area, of course classic thrash and garage but also some pretty sick heavy metal.

WULF: Braden Young mixed your album, who is he and what is your connection to him?
WIZARD: Basically we know him through Simon(Grimhilt). Three of us were already going to be in Lawrence, KS (where we grew up) over the winter so we just asked him to record us and he agreed. It was pretty strait forward, we played through the songs and then overdubbed our parts again. Braden was really particular about perfecting all the parts, I think it made the album alot more solid. The whole project definitely woundn’t have happened without him. He also hooked us up with Brommer, who did the cover art.

WULF: Besides any possible live shows, what are some of the band's future plans? Do you have any more music on the way?

WIZARD: We have 8 songs that still need to be recorded so look forward to that. Definitely the ambient stuff and of course adventure modules! I’m really considering that right now.

WULF: Thanks so much for this interview!! Any final comments?

WIZARD: I guess I would say to all the metal heads and metal musicians out there, keep listening to and creating stuff that you believe in. If you believe in that candy coated corporate shit then good for you, but know that you’re seen as a fan of easy listening. Thanks Wulf.

WULF'S TOP 10 METAL ALBUMS OF 2011!!!

Well, well, here we are again!! 2011 was a hell of a year, went to Korea, living in Australia now, and, most importantly, enjoyed some killer metal releases during my travels! I really don't have too much to say about 2011 that wasn't already covered by Judge Dredd, he pretty much nailed it with this being the year of USBM really breaking through to the critical acclaim it deserves...however, I still can't help but feel that 2011 was fairly weak compared to 2010. Last year, I had a tough time narrowing down my favorite masterpieces, but this year I found it difficult to come up with ten albums that I found to be truly excellent. Anyway, there are still some gems to be found, and I'll also list some albums I thought were pretty cool but not worthy of the "Top 10". Here we go!!

1. "L'Ordure à l'état Pur" - Peste Noire

What a monster of an album!! I remember really digging this album and the strangeness of it all, but after reading this blog post and using this album as a soundtrack to a game of Plague & Pestilence with some friends, I felt like for me this was definitely going to be my favorite of the year...and I was right! Easily PN's best since their debut album, controversial lyrics and themes aside, this album is absolutely nuts. Bizarre songwriting parodying modern French culture, batshit insane vocals, PN's trademark sloppy playing contrasted with excellent musicianship (and Indria's masterful fretless bass!), it's not for everyone but will definitely appeal to the more adventurous audiophiles out there. As far as black metal goes, Famine is the new Varg.



2. "Celestial Lineage" - Wolves in the Throne Room

While I don't feel as if Wolves are ever going to top 2007's "Two Hunters", there's no doubt that "Celestial Lineage" and is THE BEST USBM album of the year. While it took me awhile to get into this album just because there's so much stuff to explore in these labyrinthine tracks, eventually it really warmed up to me and found it to be a very rewarding listening experience. It's these kinds of albums that make me feel like it was recorded in a cave somewhere, evoking the same essence of primitive rituals long forgotten. It's sad to see that this is going to be their last album, but holy shit what a way to go out!



3. "Fallen" - Burzum

Speaking of which, the new Burzum album was amazing as well! I'm still sad that the interview didn't work out, but while writing up questions I really got into this album and found it to be better than "Belus". Of course you've got all the typical Burzum-style dirty riffing and hypnotic repetition, but also some of the most gorgeous melodies I've heard in black in quite some time. I'm definitely excited to see what else Varg's got in store for us in the near future.



4. "Ghost" - The Devin Townsend Project

Easily my biggest guilty pleasure of the year, I can't believe I enjoyed this album as much as I did. Ugh. I'd be embarrassed to listen to this while in the same room as someone else. Nevertheless, while for most people this might be The Mad Scientist of Metal's weakest of his 4-album quadrilogy, this was my favorite...in fact, it might be my favorite thing Devin's done since "Terria", which is one my favorite albums of all time. There's no metal on "Ghost"...instead, it's a relaxing, pseudo-new age "journey" of relaxing, lush acoustics and peaceful atmospherics. Vomits.



5. "Roads to Judah" - Deafheaven

Now THIS album came out of nowhere...who are these dudes? While some BM fashion police might be turned off because these guys don't "look" very "metal", they obviously play their brand of post-rock-influenced black metal without giving a shit (while simultaneously not coming across as pretentious...sorry Liturgy). I found that Deafheaven gives me the same vibe I get from bands like Amesoeurs, Nachtmystium, and black metal artists that give off a strong "urban decay" vibe. Rainy, cold afternoon/evening in NYC black metal.



6. "Mammal" - Altar of Plagues

I'm not too sure what to say about this album, other than it's "really good". While it's definitely in the vein of this rapidly-growing trend of "urban decay black metal" that all the kids are listening to these days (including me), I couldn't really get into this album until I listened to it in complete darkness one night before going to bed. It definitely could be said that listening to albums like this makes ANY album seem a lot better, it's really the only time that I could really get into it...in any other situation it just doesn't do it for me. So if you're reading this right now in the middle of the night and you can't sleep, give this album a shot if you're in the mood for some brooding, ominous post-black metal.



7. "Redemption at the Puritan's Hand" - Primordial

This isn't Primordial's best album, but it has some really killer tracks nonetheless, with "No Grave Deep Enough" and "Bloody Yet Unbowed" being two of the best metal songs of the year. I didn't get into this album as much as their previous two, but who knows, maybe it will grow on me. Still, Nemtheanga's lyrics and vocals are, as usual, top-notch, and
this is definitely a welcome addition to Primordial's excellent line of great releases.





8. "The Great Mass" - Septicflesh

While overall not a superb album, some of the highlights are definitely worth listening to, such as "The Vampire of Nazareth" and Fotis Benardo's superb drumming. When listening to this album I get the same sort of "exotic" vibe that is similar to when I listen to other Greek metal bands such as Rotting Christ. The adventurous, epic atmospherics always gets me going, and coupled with mysterious, occult lyrics and excellent production makes for a very rewarding listening experience. Definitely planning on getting into their back catalogue and reading some interviews!



9. "Agony" - Fleshgod Apocalypse

Seriously balls-out symphonic death metal. I'm not really sure what else to say, but besides the batshit drums, this album is completely over-the-top with its overblown orchestrations and frantic energy. When you combine cheesy Italian power metal and ridiculously brutal, blasting death metal (think Hate Eternal), this is what you get, and it's a hell of a lot of fun!



10. "In the Flesh" - Nader Sadek

While not quite as ludicrous sound-wise as, say, Fleshgod Apocalypse, the drumming on this album (courtesy of Cryptopsy's Flo Mournier, one of the best extreme metal drummers EVER) is what does it for me. It's as if Flo is compensating for his relatively recent embarrassing ventures ("The Unspoken King", Digital Doomzday, cutting his hair) by unleashing absolute hell on his drum set. Seriously, this shit is nuts. It's also worth mentioning that you've got Blasphemer (ex-Mayhem) on guitar, Nicholas McMaster (Krallice) on bass, and Steve Tucker (ex-Morbid Angel) on vokills, and the whole project directed by Nader Sadek (responsible for Mayhem's live visual atmospherics). While the whole album is good, Flo's drum performance on this album is what makes it for me.