Interview with S Slaughter of Séance Records!!

This interview is part of a series I'm doing in order to explore the dark and intriguing world of Australian black metal as well as spread the word about The Devil's Arcana, a 2-day black metal festival taking place on March 30-31 here in Sydney, Australia.

http://www.seancerecords.com/

Interview conducted via e-mail on March 21, 2012.

WULF: Tell us a bit about Séance Records. How did it come to be established?  Is the label a one-person operation, or is it run by a group?

S SLAUGHTER: Séance Records is collaboration between Wraith & myself. Between us we have been involved with various bands, zines, labels & projects for well over ten years. Séance Records was launched with this previous experience behind us as a label dedicated to black metal and the dark music that we personally love. The label supports the music that Wraith is involved with as well as those of our friends and new bands that we believe in. Séance Records seeks to support and promote Australian black metal via the promotion of live shows and our releases.

WULF: So far you only have one band on your label, Erebus Enthroned.   Are you looking to sign more bands, or are you focusing more on merchandise (such as patches, shirts, etc.) and distribution?   Also, feel free to tell us about any exclusive merchandise you have to offer.

S SLAUGHTER: Erebus Enthroned is just one of the bands on our label. Their debut, ‘Night’s Black Angel’ was our third CD release. Other bands currently on our roster include Pestilential Shadows, Nazxul, Nocturnes Mist, Spire and Crowned. Forthcoming releases include the debut album by Crowned, ‘Vacuous Spectral Silence’, ‘Drowning in the Vampyric Sacrament of the Immortals’ a split CD release featuring Drowning the Light & Vampyric Blood (Finland) and a split 7” union between Pestilential Shadows & Corvus.
We are always interested to hear new music being created & accept demos with the possibility of release. However as a label we aim to keep our roster & release schedule small in order to give full focus and support to each band on an individual level. The bands that we release are bands that fit the vision of Séance Records & that we personally like and believe strongly in. So far our focus has been on Australian black metal due to the strong ties we have with the AUBM scene, however we are open to music from worldwide.
We do release exclusive merchandise, mainly patches for bands in the aim to provide quality pro patches for artists on an underground level. Some of the exclusive patches that we currently have on offer include designs for Sadistik Exekution, Absu, Graveland, Portal, Drowning The Light, Mournful Congregation & many more. An exclusive Abigor, ‘Quintessence’ patch is forthcoming. All of our releases & patches are all available via www.seancerecords.com

WULF: What are you hoping to accomplish with Seance Records?

S SLAUGHTER: The support of bands that we believe strongly in, the promotion of their art to a worldwide audience, the production of quality pro merch for underground bands and live shows focusing on Australian & New Zealand Black Metal. Our live shows are an extension of the label, in part social gatherings for supporters of the AUBM scene to create a memorable experience and wider awareness for those interested in this kind of music as well as a rare opportunity for these bands to play together.

WULF:  Some of the art on your website is fantastic.  I'm especially curious about the art for your logo...who is the artist?

S SLAUGHTER: Much of the artwork for the label and our releases has been created by Balam of Pestilential Shadows including our logo. He is a prominent tattooist in Sydney and his dark style of art perfectly suits the image and vision for Séance Records.

WULF: What is your connection to the metal store Le Cabinet des Curiosities in Sydney?


S SLAUGHTER: We own and operate this store which also sells dark alternative fashion, jewellery, occult items & interesting ephemera. The Séance Records store within is fully stocked with hundreds of current underground black metal & doom CDs, vinyls, patches & shirts. The store provides an outlet to offer underground music not available elsewhere in Sydney. It is a place still rooted in underground traditions that have died off with the decline of indie music stores. Customers can come in & listen to releases, display their posters & fliers to promote bands & gigs as well as sell their demos and share their music. The shop has become a meeting ground for many, a platform for hearing new bands and music in order to further the genre in the underground way which it was founded. The shop is one of the few places left that extensively stocks Australian bands, demos, tapes & zines.

WULF:  Being an Australian record label specializing in extreme metal, what are some of your personal favorite Australian extreme metal bands?

S SLAUGHTER: Whilst we focus on black metal we have always believed that Australia has had a profound and important contribution to extreme metal even from the early days and to list all of the great bands would be hard but some highlights for me include Nazxul, Misery, Mournful Congregation, Stargazer, Cauldron Black Ram, Disembowelment, Myrddraal, Invocation, Portal, Bestial Warlust, Lord Kaos & Abramelin.
Some newer bands that I am currently giving high rotation to include, Spire, Midnight Odyssey, The Crevices Below, Woods of Desolation, Austere, Moon, Thrall, Ill Omen, Temple Nightside, Grave Upheaval, Impetuous Ritual, Wardaemonic & Ignivomous.
Over the waters from NZ try Blood of the Moon, Heresiarch, Diocleatian, Vassafor & Witchrist

WULF:  What can we expect from attending the upcoming The Devil's Arcana festival at the end of the month?

S SLAUGHTER: The Devil’s Arcana like our previous shows is a line up entirely dedicated to current Australian & New Zealand Black Metal like no other. This festival is unique in gathering the largest line up of active black metal bands from this region of the world. The show is also a gathering of those dedicated to AUBM from all over Australia. The show expands the awareness of those interested in black metal, coupling established bands with new bands and even those making their live debuts. The event is equally as important as a social gathering as a platform for music and its propagation.
Those in attendance shall witness 13 bands, each diverse in their interpretation of Black metal. Vassafor from New Zealand headlines the festival appearing on the Saturday with a lineage of involvement with Diocleation and other extreme NZ bands. Their show will be an uncompromising barrage of black metal on the bestial side whilst Nontinuum & Crowned offer a more melodic depressive representation of the genre; Black metal orthodoxy from Erebus Enthroned & Pestilential Shadows; Moon & Spire’s symphonic darkness is contrasted by the raw energy of Wardaemonic, the modern abrasion and dissonance of Order of Orias. The Devil’s Arcana will also be the debut live appearance of Ill Omen, a dark and occult experience that has been highly anticipated. Drowning The Light headline the Friday night show in their final live appearance for the near future. Patrons can also browse the extensive range of merchandise on offer from all bands and stall holders, partake in cheap drinks & plentiful hangovers.

WULF:  Thank you for doing this interview, that's all the questions I have!   Any final comments?

S SLAUGHER: Thank you for this interview and for your support. The Devil’s Arcana Awaits……

Séance Records' Devil's Arcana press release:

Séance Records Presents

THE DEVIL’S ARCANA

13 Bands . Two Nights of Black Metal

MARCH 30TH & 31ST 2012

FRIDAY MARCH 30TH

DOORS 6PM

DROWNING THE LIGHT

WARDAEMONIC

MOON

NONTINUUM

TAMERLAN

SATURDAY MARCH 31ST

DOORS 4PM

VASSAFOR

PESTILENTIAL SHADOWS

SPIRE

ORDER OF ORIAS

EREBUS ENTHRONED

ILL OMEN

CROWNED

SORATHIAN DAWN

The Valve Bar, 900 Princess Highway

Tempe, Sydney, Australia.

Thirteen Turns in the hangman’s noose, thirteen steps drudged to the gallows and thirteen cards in the THE DEVIL’S ARCANA, each a divination unto darkness.

Séance Records presents this special union of Black Metal from Australia and New Zealand to take place in Sydney over two nights in March 2012.

This live event will be a unique underground gathering of dark music and art, conjuring the aural and visual as each act turns a card to reveal greater revelations of His Arcana.

Tickets will be strictly limited; the venue is small and intimate to give each patron the benefit of the best vantage and experience. Two night passes will ONLY be available for pre sale. If not sold out patrons will be able to pay night to night at the door. However to avoid disappointment get in early to be a part of The Devil’s Arcana!

Two Night Pass - $40AUD inc registered postage to anywhere in Australia.

ON SALE NOW!! Order online now from – http://www.seancerecords.com/shows.html

Or paypal $40AUD per ticket required to seancerecords @ hotmail.com (remove spaces).

Please be sure to put Devil’s Arcana Ticket in the subject header, specify the qty & your postal address for delivery.

Tickets will also be available from

Le Cabinet des Curiosities, 97 Enmore Rd, Enmore, Sydney

PH: 0295174598

(Credit card taken over the phone and efpos facilities available in store)

Please direct any ticket queries to – seancerecords @ hotmail.com

All bands will have merchandise for sale on the night and there will be music/ merch stalls by Séance Records and others to be announced.

The Valve bar offers cheap drinks and food. It is located on a busy main road also close to food, public transport and passing taxis. The venue is a short commute via taxi from Newtown.

The show is over 18s, please contact the venue directly for underage allowances.

Facebook event - http://www.facebook.com/events/270662619649763/

www.seancerecords.com

http://www.valvebar.com.au/

FRIDAY PROCLAIMATIONS…

13 cards and 13 secrets to be revealed by 13 covens and so begins…

The High Priestess – TAMERLAN (NSW) Her veil lifts upon the opening of ceremonies as Tamerlan’s crescent moon rises and the Eastern star burns bright as a gem in her diadem to ignite this new band of Symphonic Black Metal bards from Sydney.

Fortitude - NONTINUUM (VIC) – The card of perseverance and inner struggle, to accept the mantra of pain, melancholia and introspection borne on the wings of melodic and atmospheric, depressive black metal. This shall be the first live gathering in Sydney by the brothers of fortitude.

http://www.facebook.com/Nontinuum

The Moon – MOON (QLD) – The dark nature of human kind inspired by lunar creatures and conjured by the sounds of raw symphonic black metal. Be not fooled by the moon’s beauteous bright for the night lays in shroud dark and fierce.

http://www.myspace.com/moonmyth

The Emperor – WARDAEMONIC (WA) – To rule the throne of darkness is to rule the world with chaos and herald this rule with a wave of devastating noise, a dense dark intensity of unrelenting black metal returned from the Western horizon!

https://www.facebook.com/Wardaemonic

The Devil - DROWNING THE LIGHT (NSW) – To unfurl the chains of oppression is to do unto him in all actions and deeds. It is as to drowning the light. To commemorate the release of the band’s thirteenth album, ‘Oceans of Eternity’ the vampyric brotherhood will overturn the thirteenth card to headline Friday night ceremonies with this exclusive and unique live show. Material old and new shall be revealed for this pinnacle of the first night’s proceedings. However yet to come, the remaining cards in this arcane enigma…

http://www.myspace.com/drowningthelight

SATURDAY PROCLAIMATIONS…

Night one is at an end, nocturnal rise with bacchic revelries aside to begin again. Five revealed a further eight to attend..

The Wheel of Fortune - SORATHIAN DAWN (NSW) – Fortunes are raised high and borne low as the wheel turns in its ouroborus cycle of the weaving fates.. and so opens the second eve of musical ceremonies with the debut of sinister melodic black metal from Sydney.

http://www.reverbnation.com/sorathiandawn

The Hermit – CROWNED (QLD) – Those endowed with the deep knowledge to be attained by solitude and introspection. A silence to be broken and shared unto the world upon the hermits return as songs sung in murky veils of doom paced atmospheric black metal.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Crowned/190273347678155

The Tower – ILL OMEN (NSW) – Those who dwell in the tower built to touch heaven but who enter through the gates of Hell. Its flames spell only omens of ill fate when drawn from the deck and the catastrophic cries of deathly black esoterica crafted in sorrowful black metal. The vile live debut of this obscure unearthly entity!

http://www.myspace.com/adverseorder

The Magus – EREBUS ENTHRONED (NSW) – Of wand and serpent bound in eternity and transmutation, their being is the ladder between divinity and earth, as above, so below. Great mysteries are revealed in their musical spells of chthonic dark energy, extreme intense occult black metal delivered unto the waiting congregation. The magi shall reveal new hymns as yet unspoken.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/Erebusenthroned

Judgment – ORDER OF ORIAS (VIC) – When the dead rise from crypt and sea the final judgment shall be heralded by these extreme illuminations, a loud and resounding malevolent oppression of death tainted black metal. This live ascension will be a true revelation of doom to launch their magnificent new album, ‘Inverse’.

http://www.myspace.com/orderoforias

The Star – SPIRE – Each star is a step in the navigation of higher enlightenment; it is the card to define the astral journey of spire’s black peak reaching starward in order to reveal great enigmas through the hypnotic transcendence of this crushingly dark musical entity. Each death chant and bellow resounds in bleak dark noise; doom veiled shadow, ambience and atmospheric black metal. Spire return to Sydney as a shooting star falling to earth on the eve of the new EP release, ‘Metamorph’.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Spire/162076060469674

The Hanged Man – PESTILENTIAL SHADOWS (NSW) – Thirteen, the hang mans number as his noose welcomes death with the tightening of thirteen turns. By grim gallow or gnarly tree he hangs in the place between life and death, companion of decay, plague and pestilence. Pestilential Shadows tells his tales of despair, haunting breadths of sinister black metal that touch as death’s chill hands upon the heart. Performing new material from the forthcoming, ‘Ephemera’ album, so explored are death’s great mysteries!

http://www.myspace.com/pestilentialshadows

Death – VASSAFOR (NZ) – Death rides a pale horse and his blackened banner signals the great arrival of this mighty force from New Zealand in their first ever live Australian appearance. Vassafor, a monument to heaviness and dank deathly aura headline the Saturday night and complete the thirteen hands dealt in this live ritual. Their crushing musical chaos of bestial black metal and subsonic doom shall ravage as death’s destructive hand cast down to lay waste on all in its wake! Behold as the new musical work, ‘Obsidian Codex’ is unleashed!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vassafor/122700671091826

Death the final rider, the final card revealed in this black arcana! Remember, Death rides high because in the end we all die the same.. and so ends the Devil’s Arcana until the deck next be drawn.

Interview with J.P. of Nontinuum!!

This interview is part of a series I'm doing in order to explore the dark and intriguing world of Australian black metal as well as spread the word about The Devil's Arcana, a 2-day black metal festival taking place on March 30-31 here in Sydney, Australia.

http://www.facebook.com/Nontinuum

Interview conducted via email on March 15, 2012.

WULF: First of all, I'm curious about your band name. Obviously it's a play on the word "continuum", but what do you specifically mean by "Nontinuum"? It strikes me as a statement of nihilism or the foreshadowing of the finality of all existing things upon death.

J.P.: That is a good guess on the name. It's essentially the idea of an endless time transition from one form of nothingness to another.

WULF: I understand that you will be accompanied by H.R. and J.G. for your upcoming live shows. Who are they? What is their connection to you? Do these musicians play in any other metal bands?

J.P.: Both play in another band and are both great musicians.

WULF: You have an upcoming debut LP in the works. What can we expect from this album? When are you planning on releasing it? Will it sound stylistically similar to your 2010 demo, "Dwelling in Oceans", or have you expanded/changed your sound over this time? Will your live musicians be a part of the recording process?

J.P.: Expect the album hopefully this year. The plan was to have it out last year, but that didn't come to be, so now the plan is for it to be out this year. It will have similarities to the demo, but the sound has progressed exceptionally. It is likely that the live musicians will play a role in the recording of the album.

WULF: The atmosphere you have on your demo is very impressive, very cold and sad but hypnotic and bittersweet as well. Was there any sort of event that happened in your life that inspired you to create art like this, or have you always felt like this depressive black metal was an accurate form of art in expressing yourself?

J.P.: "Dwelling In Oceans" definitely captured what I was feeling at the time. This feeling has now changed and will be represented in a slightly different manner on forthcoming material.

WULF: From listening to your music, I get a very strong sense of melancholy and sadness (and perhaps even despair at times), yet there is also a feeling of anger or frustration as well. What immediately comes to mind that exemplifies these characteristics is the end of the song "In Oceans", when you repeat the line "I hold onto time" over and over again. It makes me think of themes such as longing for reason or purpose and fear of death. I hate to ask questions like this, but are you experiencing these emotions while writing/performing these songs? It seems like the lyrical themes and overall atmosphere of the song are very emotional, although simultaneously quite beautiful as well.

J.P.: To put it simply, the line "I hold on to time" is basically just a phrasing of that feeling of not wanting a moment to end, or not want an event to become nothing more than a memory. The lyrics are definitely a reflection of the emotion felt at the time of writing.

WULF: Not just black metal (especially depressive, suicidal black metal or DSBM), but post-rock seems to be influential to your sound. Is this true? I hate to ask questions regarding a band's influences, but I'm legimately curious as to what other music besides underground metal (if any) inspires you as a musician.

J.P.: That is true. As for influences... Explosions in the Sky are a big influence, as well as bands like This Will Destroy You and Hammock. There are a few pop/rock artists I take influence from as well. However the main influences are bands like Drudkh, Cult of Luna, Darkthrone, Emperor, Austere and Woods of Desolation.

WULF: What are your thoughts on the upcoming Devil's Arcana festival where you're performing? Are you a fan of any of the other bands playing? What are you hoping to accomplish with your own performance?

J.P.: Very much looking forward to it. Looking forward to seeing Drowning the Light, Pestilential Shadows, Crowned and Moon in particular. All the bands are killer, though. As for the Nontinuum performance... it's really just a test to see how our music goes down live.

WULF: That's it for my questions! Any final comments?

J.P.: Thanks for the interview, go to http://www.facebook.com/nontinuum for all updates regarding the album.

The Devil's Arcana

I don't know how many readers there are of this blog that are in eastern Australia, but there's a two-day black metal festival here in Sydney coming up presented by Seance Records called The Devil's Arcana. I'm taking this opportunity to do my best to spread the word of this show by putting the information on here, but also do some interviews with some of the bands performing as well! I'll put them up as soon as I get them (hopefully before the actual fest).
I've been waiting for an opportunity like this since I've been in Australia to explore the metal scene here (something I wasn't able to do in Alaska or Korea), so hopefully this will be the beginning of my journey into the depths of Australian darkness. Stay tuned!!

Lifelover

I got off work last night around 3AM and since I had stupidly drank a cappuccino shortly before I finished my shift I was still wide awake long after I had gotten home. As usual, I got on youtube and started watching metal band interviews, and stumbled across this:



I've been a Lifelover fan for quite awhile now (RIP B.), and while I'm fairly familiar with what the band was about I was still pretty surprised at how weird these guys are/were. While it's possible that they definitely play up their whole "we're fucked up on drugs" schtick, something about these dudes just makes them seem like they're both mentally and physically ill. They give off this aura of a barely functioning, decrepit factory that still somehow manages to turn out products, or a clunky car that's spewing out a bunch of black smoke from its exhaust pipe on the highway as it sputters along. I don't think it's quite accurate to say that they'd be The Joker's favorite band, but that's still what comes to mind whenever I see a picture of the group (especially B.).

I don't know what it is about these guys that makes me so interested in them. None of their albums are excellent all the way through (although "Pulver" and "Konkurs" have some really great songs), but I just get the feeling from their music that these guys are into some pretty heavy shit and I think B.'s recent death definitely backs this up. At this point it seems kind of silly to make a post that's talking about Lifelover as if the average underground metal fan hasn't heard of them, but if you haven't ever checked them out or seen any of their interviews until now (like me), then check 'em out! Really bizarre, interesting depressive black metal.

Album Review: "Becoming" - Abigail Williams

I don't know what the deal is with me wanting to defend shit that no one likes. I already white-knighted Liturgy in an earlier post on here, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I really like Celtic Frost's notoriously shitty "Cold Lake" ("Seduce Me Tonight" fucking rules) and brain-dead guttural slam (Cephalotripsy, Devourment, Cemetery Rapist)- shit that makes internet metal nerds freak the fuck out. Maybe I feel bad for the artists for some reason? I don't know. Obviously there's shit that's terrible that I'll 100% agree is lousy (such as the latest Morbid Angel album, Cryptopsy's "The Unspoken King", "St. Anger", etc.), but I feel like there are times when you can tell an artist or band is super into their shit and really, REALLY want people to like it. This kind of desperation is a turn-off for most people, but at the end of the day for me it has the opposite effect. I guess I'm one of those "it's not THAT bad" kind of people, but whatever.

My point is that Abigail Williams is one of those artists that I feel gets a lot of hate for superficial reasons. I should probably preface this argument by saying that I haven't really done my homework on this, I haven't read too many interviews with these guys and don't know too much about them, so this might just be a stupid argument to make. Anyway, here's what I know about them:
1. They started out as a shitty blackened deathcore or whatever group (I haven't listened to their early shit, so I'm going off of metal-archives).
2. They tried to establish themselves as more legit by putting out "In the Shadow of a Thousand Suns", a more "symphonic black metal" effort which featured Trym drumming on some tracks.
3. Still not being taken very seriously and compared to Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir, they decided to strip down their sound with a less-overblown, more "evil" atmosphere with their second album, "In the Absence of the Light". Still received mediocre reviews. At this point they've already gone through a shitload of lineup changes as well, and have been getting booed at live shows.
4. Recently put out "Becoming", which is one of the best albums that I've heard so far this year.

Wait, what?!

Seriously! I don't know if these guys started doing heavy-duty hallucinogens and/or just started listening to a lot of Wolves in the Throne Room or Altar of Plagues, but something's up. Whether or not these guys are totally ripping off this whole "post-black metal" trend or not is besides the point-- "Becoming" is an excellent album, and even though they've clearly jumped on a bandwagon, it's original enough to appreciate in its own way.

While there's plenty of "atmospheric" touches to Abigail Williams' new sound, conspicuously absent are the band's old trademarks of symphonic flourishes and polished production. Instead, while there are plenty of gorgeous melodies and beautiful string arrangements, the album has a gritty production quality to it that goes perfectly with its "dark" BM riffs and ominous ambient moments (listen to the beginning of "Beyond the Veil"!) and well-placed psychedelic moments.

I seriously would have never guessed this is Abigail Williams. I've listened to their two previous albums, and wasn't very impressed. I've read reviews of their live shows, and the general consensus I came across was that they were boring. My buddy told me that at the show he was at they got heckled by the audience. After putting out this album, I can't imagine these guys still sucking live since it's obvious that "Becoming" has the two essential ingredients for greatness the band has been lacking this entire time-- passion and inspiration. By listening to everything from Ken Sorceron's howling screams and growls (someone else mentioned Xasthur or Leviathan, I can see that) to the energy pulsing from the drums, it's obvious that these guys were FEELING this album. I have no idea what the lyrics are about on this album (I've noticed there's a significant lack of contemporary interviews), but clearly they're not phoning this shit in.

The musicians' performances are also all top-notch, and while nothing specifically stands out as amazing, it works to the music's advantage by maintaining the listener's focus on the music as a whole. I mentioned Altar of Plagues before, but that's who comes to mind most when describing Abigail William's musicianship. Personally, I didn't find "Mammal" to be a work of musical virtuosos, but they obviously don't suck either (the same could be said for Wolves in the Throne Room too). Saying they "get the job done" implies that they're kind of shitty at what they do, but that's not what I mean. When listening to "Becoming", you're not distracted by any musician in particular, just the "vibe" of the song. Eh, you know what I mean.

While I can see a lot of metal fans putting these guys down and not giving this album a chance (understandable, to a certain extent,) I'd say that by writing these guys off you're missing out. Obviously, I was blown away by "Becoming", and I hope by checking this album out you'll be as pleasantly surprised as I am. I can't believe I'm praising this album as much as I am, but as much shit as these guys have been through by internet metal nerds like myself, they definitely deserve it.

RIYL: Nachtmystium's newer stuff, Wolves in the Throne Room, Altar of Plagues, Deafheaven, Agalloch

Option Paralysis: It's Me Or The Drugs!!!

Despite the title, this is not intended to be a post focusing on gossip. A little while ago I pointed out that Greg Puciato of The Dillinger Escape Plan (DEP) publicly stated that he had the trip (*wink, wink*) of a lifetime. Read Greg's original statement here.

Metal Insider recently posted an interview with Ben Weinman, guitarist and main creative force behind DEP, in which he touched on various subjects related to Greg's drug episode. Ben maintained that the creative process for DEP has always been drug free (although he mentioned ingesting pots of coffee MULTIPLE times throughout the interview) and that he has always been straight edge. Still, Ben assured everyone that this event was "less than a hiccup" within the internal relationship of the band.

On the Metal Sucks post about this very subject, there was a shit storm of user comments regarding the place that recreational drug use has in the creation of music. I won't get into that
because, obviously, drugs are great and also great for music and musicians.

What I really want to talk about is where does one draw the line between the individual and the collective within the relationship of a band. Ben mentions that Greg is "the front man and [he's] the image of what this band is", but at the same time mentions "certain guys in the band do certain things and certain guys don't". To me, this means that Greg can do what he wants, but he should have a responsibility to maintain a public image that is consistent with DEP's creative work ethic and philosophy. This brings up a number of important questions. Where does one draw the line between the individual and the collective? Where does one draw the line between public responsibility and private freedom?

As being a member of multiple bands in the past (albeit, local bands), I can safely say that every member always develops a "personality" or "role" in the band and that contributes to the function (or dysfunction) of the whole. I think most people can agree that there are one or two people who are the creative engines while the others may contribute some ideas. Additionally, there are usually one or two people that are deemed to represent the "public image" of a band.

The "public image" of a band is generally used to express the philosophy, ideas, and personality of a band by way of interviews, public appearances, and the like. They serve to bridge the perceived gap between the fan and the band. When a member who acts as the "public image" of a band no longer aligns him or herself with the philosophy, ideas, or personality of a band, then there will be some dissonance between those identities. In other words, when a member acts on his or her own volition in a public space, while not maintaining the image of the band, that's when problems within bands occur. That's also usually when members get kicked out.

Ben said in the interview that one main problem he saw with Greg's behavior is that it caused fans to assume that the recreational use of drugs is part of the creative process. Obviously, from Ben's comments, this is not the case (except for COFFEE!). Thus, some dissonance between "public image" and individual personality.

So where does one strike the balance between public image and personal choice and between the collective and the individual? Clearly, each band is going to have different views on this. In many Black Metal bands, shared ideology (whether Satanic or not) is central to the function of the band. For overtly political bands, like Napalm Death, I'm sure this also rings true. Within bands like these, I would imagine each individual has at least some contributions to developing the ethos of a band.

However, it's not just about ideology or philosophy. Aspects such as the band's collective personality and work ethic also play hugely important roles. If one member is an incessant drunken asshole or never shows up for practice, that may not fit in with the overall personality or work ethic of a band, respectively.

I think in most instances, an individual member of a band is allowed to express themselves, creatively, socially, or otherwise, just as long as said expression doesn't violate either the public image, the interrelationships, or the world view of the band. The boundaries of such a violation are, of course, explicitly or implicitly set by the band.

John's best of 2011

J. Sunlight here! Since all my favorite bands blew their loads in 2010, I didn't bother keeping close tabs on metal releases in 2011, so consider this the socioeconomically aware metalheads's top ten list of albums which exceeded expectations in all the extracurricular while maintaining the artistic verve and quality standards that we've come to expect from the falsely-conscious mutants who populate the metal scene!

GOOD

1. Old Forest - Tales of the Sussex Weald
Technically some old releases cobbled together and sold to the same people a second time! Good business sense and efficient use of available resources earns Fogarty and crew my personal thumbs up and the award for best album of the year! Old Forest are like Emperor or Immortal or Gehenna or something but English. YOU KNOW...

2. Immolation - Providence
Obviously fishing for wider appeal, Immolation do Noktorn proud create their first release that appeals to non metal-nerds; an ep who's frolicking riffs and de-alienated stratification of oldschool-modern death metal cliches makes something you can enjoy without the niggling feeling that you should be listening to "Onward To Golgotha" instead. Expect this on college radio!

3. Tjolgtjar - Witchcrafts, I Am A Wolf, First Church of Tjolgtjar Volume I (Rites of The First Church)
"Witchcrafts" is an old album just now getting release. Part of an old collaboration which never came together, forcing the Rev to provide his own vocals to his own arrangements! It must be stated that this is not "Ikarikitomidun", nor in the same ballpark. It is in the same league, however! Think of it as the Royals of Tjolgtjar's black'n'roll with the faded color palate and dreary adherence to standard Sabbath influence. "I Am A Wolf" is a compilation and thus irrelevant, save the considerate inclusion of "Elephant" and "Rhinoceros", songs which are to date only available to scumbags who download (granted they are now available in the form of a download). The only mistake is the inclusion of the unlistenable "United States Black Metal Mafia: HellsLegions" rather than one of their best and more obscure tracks "Unholy Offerings". I went ahead and fixed this by replacing the track (I suggest you download it), thus this release is salvaged. "First Church of Tjolgtjaretc" isn't metal. While these are all download releases, by keeping the brand name alive I merit Tjolgtjar a respectable third position this year.

4. Burzum - Fallen
"I should defend myself no matter what, and not give the crusading Jew-lackey carte blanche to murder my race and me only because his blade is so bloody beautiful or because he has been allowed to do so for a thousand years already!" Varg, you charmer! It's not as though I could write this list and ignore Burzum... It's not as though YOU ignored these developments!

5. Glorior Belli - The Great Southern Darkness
While others are content to recycle material, Glorior Belli recycle the very metaphysics of their work and released a stellar sequel to "Meet Us At The Southern Sign" which had put them on the map, with a bit more aesthetic variety, a bit less emotional range, a less typecast arrangement in general and a greater emphasis on the cartoonish nature and oblique humor of it all. The 2 Fast 2 Furious of metal albums if you will.

6. Gigan - Quasi-Hallucinogenic Sonic Landscapes
I haven't really listened to this but I'll go ahead and say it's great. Presumably nothing has changed since "Footsteps of Gigan" besides the collapse of global capitalism.

7. Vondur - No Compromise
It's Vondur's music, but available. What I guess we always wanted...

8.

9.

10.

These spots are reserved for, respectively, a German, a French, and an American black metal record which I haven't heard yet.

BAD

Beherit - At The Devil's Studio
This is an obvious forgery as to my knowledge, Beherit was not a metal band until 2008. Hats off for the effort, though.

Anything else
Until it has been properly vetted...

There you go! While other people may, in the uncertain, measured way one must in an age where all of our credibility is threatened, tell you that 2011 was a good or bad year for metal for an artistic-musical-cum-sociological-cultural hoedown I can tell you with true certainty that it was a year of true revitalizing self-perpetuation!