Minneapolis black metal band False will release their most pivotal and monumental record of their career on July 12th on all formats via Gilead Media.
In the past, False would not participate in interviews and remained anonymous – but that time has passed. The band has much to share and reveal about Portent – the importance of strong bonds between the members, loss, love, and the power of truth in the creation of their most career changing release. Connecting and sharing with their community has become crucial for the band.
We approached the band and asked them about some of their influences, and Rachel (vocals), Jimmy (guitar) and Travis (drums) responded with the following…
Cardiacs – A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window
Travis:
I was first introduced to Cardiacs through a good friend after playing together in a Devo cover band. He described them as a more musically intense Devo with more prog influence, so I had to check them out. After watching their music video for ‘R.E.S.’ (1984) and a live shed performance of ‘As Cold as Can Be in an English Sea’ (2007), I immediately realised this band was the real deal. They aren’t easy to listen to and aren’t for everybody, but once I digested more of these intensely entertaining songs on YouTube I had to dive in to their studio albums. England’s Cardiacs put out 9 studio albums, all on their own record label “Alphabet Business Concern”, and A Little Man and a House… (1988) drew me in instantly. The musicality in this album is completely over the top, weird time signature phrases played effortlessly and effectively, never sounding out of place or forced, riffs that speed up and slow down, anxious chord progressions that seem to never end (‘The Breakfast Line’ from 2:21 to the end of the track, as an example), just non-stop unbelievable musicianship and songwriting throughout. I personally have used hemiolas many times in my drum parts, something I first noticed in Cardiacs. 6 members all playing highly organised parts that through repeated listens leads you to discover things within each individual performance that you missed the first 10 times. A total Dadaist album. I could go on and on about this record, and I encourage anyone that enjoys difficult music to check out Cardiacs. Start from the beginning and take it all in. Also they were consistently critically panned by critics and hated by many, so you know they did something right.
Emperor – Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk
Jimmy:
I was first introduced to this masterpiece by one of my best friends, Oji, who I played in orchestra with. I was seventeen years old and already obsessed with thrash metal and fast music like Slayer, Kreator, etc. Oji was more into the Scandinavian melodic death metal bands like early/Mid-Era In Flames, etc. One day we were talking about metal before class and he said “You gotta check out this band Emperor, it’s insane.” He made a comment about how their songs were similar to what we were playing in orchestra, which confused me at the time because I couldn’t comprehend how the two worlds would be compatible. I went home, downloaded it and was immediately blown away as soon as ‘Ye Entranceperium’ kicked in. ‘The Oath’ I still feel was the perfect build up for what was to come and what I loved about it (like what I love about all their music) is that the music told a story and guided you in this path that touched on all sorts of emotions and motifs, and then when ‘Ye’ started I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. The music was so chaotic, but there was an elegance and beauty within that chaos that had me floored and wanting more. It was also fucking FAST, which is what I cared most about metal back then. In orchestra were playing the music of great composers like Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and Haydn and now I knew what Oji was referring to with Emperor’s songs being spiritual followers of the composers whose music we were playing every day in school. Other great songs like ‘The Loss and Curse of Reverence’ and ‘Thus Spake the Nightspirit’ were chock full of that amalgamation of chaos and beauty that I loved and appreciated within Classical and Baroque pieces, these hard-hitting and beautifully winding narratives within the riffs that flowed from one another. That record changed my life, and I’m eternally grateful for Oji for introducing it to me.
Tinariwen – Elwan
Rachel:
There are many punk and metal bands that have influenced me over the years, and, as wonderful and impassioned they might be, what those albums have done for me is lead me astray from their genres, inspiring a great thirst for all things genuine and raw. The first time I really had a deep connection to an album that gave me energy and power was probably when I was a kid and heard Homegenic by Björk or Aatte Hymne til Ulven i Manden, and slowly that feeling is how I have gotten into so much folk music and albums such as Elwan by Tinariwen. At a young age, the founder of this band Ibrahim Ag Alhabib watched the execution of his father during the 1963 uprising in Mali. Shortly after, he was exposed to rock n roll in 1960’s country western movies. Inspired, he made his own guitar out of a tin can. Decades later, his band is met with high esteem, and for good reason. This album in particular incorporates droning (but not boring) riffs, complex rhythms, and harmonic chanting vocals that, to me, epitomise how the collective creates power. This album is a story. Unrelenting and honest. After loving this album for many years, I had the opportunity to see them live at a volunteer run theatre on the West Bank of Minneapolis, and it was one of the best live performances I have ever seen. I feel so grateful when a band is able and willing to create and share so much energy with the crowd. There is nothing else that can replicate that feeling. Thank you, Tinariwen.
