Earlier this year Martyn Coppack reviewed the great new album Hymn To Pan by German heavy psychedelic stoner band Obelyskkh. When Martyn got the opportunity to ask the band some question he jumped on the opportunity without thinking twice. Read the interview below.

(((o))): Firstly....a bit about the history of the band, where do you come from? How did you meet? What are your influences for forming a band?

Obelyskkh: All of us are from a small town in Franconia called Fürth. The band was never planned. Woitek, Steve and I (Bootsy) started as a jam project. Suddenly we got the first gig but we had no bass player. One week before the gig happened Steve and I went to an alternative club in our hometown. I shouted drunk to the people in the club "CAN SOMEONE PLAY FUCKIN' BASS IN A DOOOOOOOM BAND???" suddenly lil Dave stands in front of me and said "yes I can"  and Obelyskkh was born, and our journey through the cosmos of un-played riffs started. the main influence of our band is freedom of creativity - well, we are knee deep into the doom/stoner swamp but we try  to avoid all the stereotypes in the genre with our music.

(((o))): I read somewhere that you never intended to release anything physical (a great idea I must add!). Why did this change? Was it pressure from fans or over zealous record companies?

Obelyskkh: We have the the gift to be on a label like Exile On Mainstream Records. The owner and mastermind behind this label is Andreas "Der Kanzler" Kohl, and he gave us no contracts, no discussions about money. It is more to be with being a part of a family. There is no pressure to release something. HEY KANZLER IF YOU READ THIS - WEEEEEEEEEE LOVE YOU!!!

(((o))): So...Hymn To Pan...what is it all about? Is it a concept album? Where did the ideas come from? Pan is noted for being a creature of the forest, do the surroundings of where you live influence such a concept?

Obelyskkh: First - there is no concept in our whole work....... we loved just the idea of the atmosphere of the wild God Pan hunting through the harsh mountains of Arcadia. the tracks are totally different with the lyrical themes and heaviness. All of  us work in a very non-intellectual way, first the riff then the lyrics. There is a very nice quote from the composer Christopher Cross who said "I'm a very non-political and non-intellectual lyricist. But people have so many demands on them already in their lives. I'm just trying to give them a little enjoyment and relaxation." This is the best quote to describe our whole concept. and yes, we have shitloads of forests, old mountains and caves in the area where we live - well but this inspiration will be perfect when we get older and moronic, then we can do some music like Ritchie Blackmore' Night ... hahahahahaha!!!

(((o))): Hymn To Pan is also notable for being one of the heaviest albums I've heard for a while. How do you approach a song to make it so heavy? There's a certain feeling which has been created which adds to the doom.

Obelyskkh: Most of the heaviness comes from dynamics - slow/fast, loud/quiet, growls/choirs. For the upcoming albums we try to add more experimental components to reach a higher atmospheric level. If our album would be a kind of food then it would be a mix between raw meat and whipped vanilla cream.

(((o))): There are more than just heavy influences on this album, one can hear folk, psychedelia and hardcore....a strange hybrid but one that works. Would you elaborate?

Obelyskkh: Yes and no!!! We have no fear to cross musical borders as there are only two kinds of music: bad and good. For us the whole picture is important and the good thing is that all of us have tons of influences from different styles and decades of music.

(((o))): How does this all transfer to the live setting? What is the reaction from the audience?

Obelyskkh: Live we are more harsh and heavy - we love it when the whole crowd starts to move in the same rhythm with a huge grin in their faces. The live sound is more the essence of our studio sound, direct and in your face!!!

(((o))): Any future plans for touring (especially the UK)?

Obelyskkh: We would love so much to come over to the UK, let's see whats happens in 2014 !!!

(((o))): What music are you currently listening to? Is the process of making music continuous and are there new influences coming into it?

Obelyskkh: I listen to shitloads of different styles. Here's a small selection of albums I really love at the moment:

Boards Of Canada - Tomorrow's Harvest
Umberto - From The Grave
Satyricon - Satyricon
Bölzer - Aura
Chrome Canyon - Elemental Themes

(((o))): What albums did you grow up with?

Obelyskkh: I grew up with all the good stuff of the early nineties - every Sunday night I stayed awake to see "120 minutes" a cool TV program about alternative music and "Headbangers Ball" on MTV. Then the next day I used to spend all my money on buying new records at a small record store with dark eye rings. Examples of albums I bought back then are:

Ozzy Osbourne - Bark At The Moon
Pink Floyd - Animals
Alice In Chains - Facelift
Ozric Tentacles - Jurassic Shift
Mindfunk - Dropped
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless

(((o))): Do you have any amusing anecdotes of life on the road?

Obelyskkh: We have no fun when we're touring ---- hehehehehe!!!!! One day a promoter offered us to support the almighty Saint Vitus - I've told the great news to my band members and our guitar player Woitek ask me "who is Saint Vitus, and with kind of music do they play?" He only knows The Jesus Lizard and Black Flag you see!

(((o))): And lastly...anything else you would like to add for our readers here at Ech(((o)))es and Dust

Obelyskkh: Thanks so much Martyn for your support and this nice interview, we hope to see you one day in real life when we come over to tour the UK. Thanks so much to our friends/fans supporting us for many years. We would be nothing without you.

"To all our followers of the Obelyskkh Ritual, say your prayers, take your vitamins and you will never go wrong.”

Daniela Patrizi recently reviewed Omens, the last album of Atlantis. Believing that good music is one of those things that must be shared she also decided to interview the band as she had a couple of questions she wanted to ask the band. Gilson Heitinga took the time to answer.

(((o))): Hey Gilson, where are you now and what have you been up to this past weekend?

Gilson: At the moment I'm in my home, ready to watch a movie. Don't know which one yet. I had a quiet weekend, nothing fancy. All my friends are having kids, so I guess I need to get some new ones to have some new adventures with hahaha!

(((o))): Thanks for this interview with Ech(((o)))es and Dust. I’m quite sure a lot of music lovers will be familiar with Atlantis, but would you like to introduce the project to us and also how and when Atlantis became a band?

Gilson: Well I started the project back in late 2006 I believe, and as my first record was announced I got asked to play on the Incubate festival, but I didn't have a band to perform the songs live with. So I asked friends of mine to help me out with that show, and soon after that we were invited to do some shows in the UK. So we decided to keep Atlantis a project that will play live and see where it all goes… and here we are 7 years and a bunch of releases later.

(((o))): I read that you come from Utrecht. What is the music scene like in that nice city? Do you often play live there?

Gilson: I live in Utrecht now, but it all started in Tilburg. And Tilburg to me has one of the best music scenes in our country with a lot of support from festivals like Incubate and Roadburn. And there are different major music educations in the city. So there is a nice mingle of underground, pop, jazz, classical.

Utrecht is quite different. There is a lot of indie, and hiphop, but all more radiofriendly. Most acts from this city are missing some "dirt" and soul to me. We play live everywhere hahaha… but we haven't play much here. We're playing pretty soon though in Utrecht, at the Le Guess Who festival.

(((o))): How would you describe the style of your music?

Gilson: That is such a horrible question hahaha … Damn I don't know. People tell me all kinds of things. It's too easy to just put it into a little box and call it post-rock, post-metal or sludge or ambient just to give it a name. But if I should give it a description, it would be: blend of my record collection.

(((o))): I get your point! So, what are some of your musical (and other) influences?

Gilson: Hmmm… I think I'm influenced by everything that touches me musically . This can be metal, electronic music, classic rock, classical and opera. In terms of artists I always like and respect artists and bands that evolve, but know a way to keep their own sound and identity. Bands like Neurosis, Pink Floyd, SWANS, Mogwai, Deftones, Depeche Mode, and people like David Bowie, Trent Reznor, David Sylvian, Kate Bush, Trentemøller, Burial etc…

(((o))): Underneath all the technology, you really believe in the art of songwriting don’t you?

Gilson: Yeah I do. I love waiting for a certain  riff, or drum or vocal part. The right build up, stuff like that. Every song needs the right emotion and power, in any way at the right time. A band like The God Machine were champions at that.

(((o))): You have just released Omens and I was lucky enough to be able to review it. (see the review here). Can you tell us a bit more about the concept behind it?

Gilson: The concept is based on the build up of events that lead to changes, positive as negative from a viewer's point of view. The sound of the album was really inspired by us as we wanted it to sound similar to when we play live.

(((o))): I would like to congratulate you because Omens really is a great album! I noticed that you wanted to reproduce the sound of your live performances. Can you tell us something about the recording process?

Gilson: Well I wanted to limit myself timewise. So I started the writing process in september 2012, but wanted it to be finished and ready for mixing by december 2012. As I finished according to plan, me and Carlo (our drummer) decided to instead of having programmed drums on the album, to record the drums live with him behind his drumkit, so we would have a "real" drum sound. But by doing so we had to push back the mixing and mastering as we needed the time to record those drums. The recorded drums helped to create that "live" feel I really wanted to capture.

(((o))): I hear some choral elements as well as requiem vocals in your latest work, with the stunning collaboration of Sanne Mus, in songs like ‘And She Drops The 7th Veil’ or the album title track. Was there a particular concept or aesthetic that you were trying to achieve?

Gilson: Well that song has a theme of a downfall of someone's own principles and saying goodbye to their own perspective of themselves. And what Sanne did on that song is amazing. I'm very happy how that all turned out

(((o))): ‘Widowmaker' is maybe my favourite song from Omens. It’s a song easy to get lost in. What’s your favorite song if there’s any?

Gilson: I don't really have a favourite song. I'm proud of all of them and how they turned out. Songs to me are just a part of the whole story I want to bring across. The album is one big thing, the songs are just chapters.

(((o))): What is the art on the album cover?

Gilson: It's a photograph of a Solar Eclipse made by a professor from the Czech Republic who studies those events. So it's not done in Photoshop, it's an actual photo.

(((o))): I saw you playing live at Dunk!festival in 2012. If you would be able to organise your own festival, what bands would you want to play with?

Gilson: Ah damn,… that would be difficult. Mmmm… let's see. Definitely Burial, Kendrick Lamar, Danny Brown, El-P, David Douglas, Depeche Mode, SWANS, Clubroot, M.I.A., The God Machine (if they were still together), Bossk, Blut Aus Nord, Rorcal…. and Borgore for the afterparty… I think that would be a nice little festival.

(((o))): Ha! I do love Burial (my profile picture here wasn't chosen by chance!) Well, are you organizing a tour to support and promote your new album? Any chance to see you soon around Europe?

Gilson: Well we're going to tour Europe in December, and that will be the first tour for the album, we will come back in 2014 for a second tour, and some smaller tours.

(((o))): Thank you very much for this interview! Is there anything else you would like to add?

Gilson: You're welcome, and thanks for having me. Yeah check out our Facebook page for all the info and updates!

(((o))): So, first and foremost, who are Dune and what are your musical backgrounds?
Dune is a 4 piece from Edinburgh with two guitarists - Dan Barter and Victor Vicart, Simon Anger on the bass and Dudley Tait on the drums. The vocals are shared by Dan, Victor and Simon. As a band we've got a really wide range of influences with each member bringing something of their own. For example, whilst we are all listening to varying levels of Sludge, Hardcore or Doom, some of us are also into blues, hip-hop, death metal, or grindcore. Although were definitely a band rooted in ‘metal’, we really try to not to stick to one musical genre, something which can sometimes kill the creativity.

(((o))): How did the band come together?
It all started as a big blind date between Simon and Victor, both of them had just moved to Edinburgh and were looking at starting a sludge band, and Gumtree gave them the opportunity to meet up and start jamming together. After trying out different people Dudley came onboard and we started as a 3 piece. Jan Gardner, Atragon's singer joined for a little while but his vocal style didn’t really work out. The band kept on playing as an instrumental 3 piece but that wasn't what we were looking for. That's when Dan joined after seeing us play in Edinburgh and he immediately fitted the band perfectly.

(((o))): Please describe your sound in poetic form. (Haiku, rhyming couplets, acrostic, etc - take your pick)

A Dune Haiku:

Galactic fuzz tone

Tribal Beats and space effects

Soaring riffs, then shout

(((o))): How has your local scene impacted you as a band?

There are a lot of good bands in the Scottish scene but some of them have definitely impacted on us more than others such as - Zillah, Lords of Bastards, Bacchus Baracus & Atragon. The thing is we have all been playing in other bands in Edinburgh so obviously you get influence from them, like Lords of Bastards are crazy rhythmically. Simon plays in Zillah which is a very technical band so it has pushed him to constantly challenge himself on bass and make the basslines in Dune more interesting. Also, there are quite a lot of Doom bands in Edinburgh and our guitarist Victor used to play in Atragon. That definitely orientated Dune’s sound into more volume and bigger tone and riffs.  Dan has also been playing and gigging with Roll on Three, which after years of playing in grindcore bands, certainly got him more used to playing ‘slower’ music. The other important point is that without all going to local gigs we probably have never all met.

(((o))): You’ve just recorded your EP. What can you tell us about this?

Well it was a lot of fun as we were recording in our mate’s studio (Iain from Bacchus Baracus), and got to use an insane amount of different amps, cabinets, speakers and other cool instruments. We had been working on the songs for a while (most of the EP was written before Dan even joined) so we wanted to record the basic tracks live and overdub only guitar lead sections, vocals and other instruments/effects. We had the opportunity to use all these awesome toys, like a Hammond organ plugged into a crazy amount of pedals ran through a Sunn amp, it was great fun just to have the opportunity to work with someone who didn’t mind us ‘playing about’.

(((o))): How do you see the band’s sound developing going into future releases?

We’ve got already new tracks getting written for (hopefully!) a full-length album, which is planned for next year, so we kind of have an idea of what we want to do. Want I can say is that we’ve got more complex rhythmic structures with still keeping riffs crushing and fun to play. But we are going to keep what we do already: tone, volume, riffs and spacey effects.

(((o))): What do you think is the most difficult challenge facing new bands starting out in the music industry today?

We don’t really feel like we are part of the ‘music industry’ but more of the underground scene. Maybe it’s a pessimistic (but we’d like to say realistic) outlook, but we’re not thinking about making a living out of our music, but are more about just having fun playing together, touring, and recording. To ‘stand out’ these days (if that’s what you want to do!) you either have to be doing something really different, or amazingly well, and even then, as a UK band, that probably still isn’t going to ‘make you’.

(((o))): Every band has different aims. What would have to happen for Dune to make you feel that you’d “made it”, so to speak?

Recording the album, touring more, playing cool festivals and keep on having fun. Dune is really just some friends playing tunes they like. If other people like what we do and we get put on gigs because of that, sell a few shirts, and can afford to buy a few post-gig beers, then all the better!

(((o))): What’s the deeper meaning (if any) behind the name ‘Dune’? Or are you just huge fans of the Sci-Fi novels?

There is no deeper meaning to the name Dune but the reference to the Frank Herbert Sci-Fi books. We all really like spacey and crazy stories of monsters, astral projection, black holes and time travelling. Dan joined after the name was already chosen, but he reads a load of Sci-Fi and is a total geek so it ended up fitting him well too. It is also a really good way to focus our lyrics on a theme, and we are trying to go further in writing better story-driven Sci-Fi narrative for future material.
(((o))): We have another column called Echoes of the Past in which we get people to write about albums that have particularly influenced them. What would you choose to write about in that column?

We all have different one so I guess we’ll give you 4 of them!

Simon: Sleep – Holy Mountain. That album made me change my whole view on music. It's heavy, its catchy, bass wise it's unreal. You can almost constantly hear that album coming from my flat.

Victor: High on Fire – Death is this Communion. A perfect and unique album; heavy riffs and huge tone with great instrumentals that bring everything together.

Dudley: Meshuggah – Chaosphere - this album for me captures one of the best phases of Meshuggah's growth into the fantastic band that they are. Technical, sporadic bass lines, awesome lyrics and drums that blow your mind. This album showed me that bands can play what some bands would never have dreamed of trying if suited properly and all members are on the same page.

Dan: Discordance Axis – The Inalienable Dreamless – Properly good grindcore that I’ve ripped off more times than I can remember, fast, harsh, but also throws in some odd ideas and more melodic guitar parts which you wouldn’t think would work but fully do. 

(((o))): You’re given the opportunity to create your own festival. What would be the first five bands on your list?

High on Fire

Converge

Sleep

Death Grips

Rompeprop

(((o))): This is ostensibly a column for introducing new bands. Any suggestions as to who we ought to include in the near future?

Bacchus Baracus is an easy one. They're a Glasgow based band that are heavier than a woolly mammoth and catchy as the common cold! Also, Easy Bake Oven who are a great young band from Glasgow as well. Isak are a bunch of young guys from up in Dundee, dead nice lads who seem to travel all over the place for gigs and play some nice Kyuss type riffage. They seem to be getting some deserved recognition down this way.  And finally there is an awesome band from Ireland call Harvester. They released an EP last year which is a total killer.

(((o))): What are the band’s plans for the near future?

Once we've released our EP, we are looking to tour Ireland and record our first album. The general idea is just to keep going with the momentum we’ve built up over the past few months, and get some new material down.

Mogwai have announced Rave Tapes as their new album due out  on January 20th. Phil caught up with Barry Burns of the band, to discuss dodgy parties, bearded comedians and even some serious questions about the music.

(((o))): Mogwai have recently announced Rave Tapes as the title of the new album, with first track 'Remurdered' also being unveiled. Given the album title and danceability of said track, can we expect glow sticks, white gloves and dodgy ecstasy being sold at future shows?

Barry: Probably not, although the idea is without any doubt amusing. You really only see emotionally damaged people dancing at our shows, and that's not going to change regardless of BPM.

(((o))): Seriously though, do people still look for meaning in your song/album titles or has everyone realised they're basically made up from nothing or in-jokes?

Barry: I think it dawned on most folk (at different speeds) that album and song titles are simply for catalogue purposes and also so we know what songs are what on a concert setlist. Trying to read into titles like 'Golden Porsche' is maybe a waste of time.

(((o))): If Rave Tapes, comes from reminiscing of 90’s dance parties and that whole culture, did you consider having a release show in the kitchen of some squat surrounded by guys in kappa tracksuits trying to eat their own face off?

Barry: Every single night on the tour bus dude. Nah, I was more picturing getting one of those Cyberdelia 90's 3-D videos and playing along with it on a giant screen in Strathclyde Park on a Sunday night. Extra bongos will be hired.

(((o))): How has the response been to ‘Remurdered’ so far? Although it's hardly a total departure, was there any trepidation about doing something a bit different or what the reaction would be like?

Barry: Honestly, it feels like the biggest risk to me is to keep making the exact same music. It feels good to do different stuff as long as your brain is able to produce it. It's very easy to fall into your own clichés, and although I know we can be guilty of that sometimes, I feel like we do try hard not to do that.

(((o))): Mogwai albums generally have an element of variation throughout. Is 'Remurdered' a good indication of the style and sound of Rave Tapes overall however?

Barry: It can be something as simple as, we bought some modular synths. Different instruments often just yield different results in music. The album probably has that synth theme throughout it but there are some straight up guitar tunes on there too. I think when a band has so many writers, it's bound to have variation, possibly at the expense of cohesion but I've never been massively bothered about "the album". I just enjoy good songs by bands I like.

(((o))): There is a touch of a John Carpenter soundtrack feel to 'Remurdered'. Is there an influence on the band by his work or the likes of Fabio Frizzi, and the film work of Argento or Lucio Fulci?

Barry: We've always been fans of John Carpenter since the beginning. One of those touchstones where we all like the same band (which doesn't happen all that often).

(((o))): The Les Revenants soundtrack released earlier in the year really captured the eerie and unsettling feeling of the TV series. How differently to usual did you approach the music for it?

Barry: Not that differently. We had a rough idea of the story and characters but other than that, we just wrote music keeping broader details of the plot/characters in mind. There was no playing to a video or anything.

(((o))): There seems to be growing interest in classic film scores and soundtrack work with the likes of Death Waltz Recording Co. releasing exclusive reissues of horror soundtracks on vinyl. Is there any film or soundtrack in particular you like?

Barry: I bought The Fog and some other Death Waltz stuff recently and that's been great to listen to again. It's good quality soundtrack music which stands up pretty well on its own.

(((o))): Have you already been approached to work on the second series of Les Revenants, and have plans for any more film projects been lined up?

Barry: We will be touring for much of next year but I think we'll have some work to do on the second series. The thing is, the music will no doubt have quite a few of the same themes so I wonder how much new music they will actually require. We'll see. We also have a film that we're doing which involves Antony Crook but more details about that soon I think.

(((o))): Mogwai recently performed Zidane in full with a simultaneous screening of the film. How was it performing an album in full for the first time and would it influence any requests to do it again with some of your previous albums?

Barry: That was the most we've ever rehearsed for anything and it was quite difficult to pull it together at first but we all really enjoyed the gigs. As for the older records, none of us are so into the idea. Seems a bit retrospective…. white flag-ish. I don't know, if someone offers us free Magnum Whites forever…….

(((o))): Having the Castle of Doom studio in Glasgow must really benefit the writing/recording process. Do you tend to have stuff written well in advance of recording, and how easily did Rave Tapes come together?

Barry: It actually didn't come together very easily (which is fairly normal for us) and there were a number of factors against us but somehow we always get it done in the end. I get very panicky, though I don't actually think there's anything wrong with that, it's just the way I work and I have to deal with it. I feel sorry for the other boys but there you go. We had many ideas of songs and some were finished, others not so much but you never know what's going to work until the last days of mixing. It's a strange process, filled with good and bad things and lots of curries

(((o))): There appears a very democratic approach to decisions within the band. Is there ever a struggle however, like someone constantly bringing up "guys, what about this death metal track I've been working on" and  getting a "aye, maybe next album", or something similar?

Barry: Not really. Democracy seems to work within this band and we're fairly in tune with what we think is good (obviously not always but that's completely natural with 5 brains). There are not many demos that you can't present to the band, we'll usually have a bash at even the most outlandish stuff that you thought you'd keep for your solo project with Hugh Laurie, who never got back to me every time.

(((o))): The band seems to already have a busy schedule lined up. With upcoming appearances at ATP, Celtic Connections in Glasgow and an extensive US tour already announced. Is touring now more difficult with different personal commitments, like your own Berlin based Das Gift bar and being away from long periods of time?

Barry: Yes, it sucks being away from your families and wives etc. It is by far the worst thing about the job but it's just what has to happen. My wife runs the bar, I do very little work for that so she keeps it in order but there's are very few days when I'm on tour when I don't feel bad for her and I'm sure with there being children with other members of the band that we'd all appreciate going away less. It's certainly not ideal and I have a feeling that 7 straight weeks in the USA is really going to take its toll on us. It's a worry.

(((o))): With the label (Rock Action Records), do you personally keep an eye for emerging music talent, or new Scottish music in particular?  I've recently been impressed with a lot of upcoming acts, like Atom Tree, Machines in Heaven and  a lot of quality in general around.

Barry: I try to, though I often find my friends in Berlin or other members of Mogwai are way better at finding new music than I am. I don't have the patience to read music magazines or trawl the internet for exciting new stuff. Instead I will look at pictures of cats that look like they're in a little biker gang etc, so I certainly have the time. I've always been impressed by the amount of good stuff in Glasgow and it's really become more confident, less cringey.

(((o))): Recently I asked on twitter if people had a favourite Mogwai album. The response hugely diversified with very few people agreeing on the same album. Do you think that’s part of Mogwai’s success appealing to a wide range of music fans and appreciating different aspects of each album?

Barry: Maybe, yes. It's good that people are pretty divided on that matter but it's nothing at the front of my mind.

(((o))): On a lighter note, it’s been mentioned you pass a resemblance to comedian Frankie Boyle these days, I thought I passed him in Glasgow one day only to see a picture pop up on your twitter asking “do I look like Frankie Boyle?” from what looked like the same day. I’m still not sure if it was you or him!  Will this influence any decision to keep the beard or not?

Barry: Man, I have had hairy face of sheer reluctance to shave since the age of 19. Last shave with that cream stuff, I was around 18 years old. It horrifies me, the wee blade on the skin, the razor burn. Jesus. But yeah, I look a bit like him. Maybe he feels the same. I mean, you just wait around to get a beard, it's surely one of the easiest tasks.

(((o))): Finally, thanks for taking time out to speak with us. Is there anything you'd like to add?

Barry: You are most welcome. I'd like to add that Glasgow City Council had better not have decided to spend all that money on CONEGATE.

Rave Tapes will be released on January 20th 2014 on Rock Action Records and on Sup Pop in America. Pre-order information including exclusive box sets, can be found on the websites.

With MMXIII, Ireland's Malthusian have released one of the most ghastly, horrifying metal recordings of the year. Ahead of the release of the tape via the mighty Invictus Productions Ross Mckendrick ventured forth inquiries on everything from the origins of their name, Ireland's fertile underground scene, to their future plans for recording and touring. Read on for their answers.

(((o))): The idea of Malthusian catastrophes being a catch-all term for the destruction of vast swathes of the human race via war, famine and disease is fertile material for subject matter within extreme music, and it has obviously inspired your choice of band name. In the two centuries since it's publication, the original ideas put forth byMalthus in An Essay On The Principles Of Population have been misinterpreted, co-opted, and disparaged by many.

Are the ideas put forth in the original text something that you all have a similar viewpoint of as a collective, or does it inspire debate and dissent among the ranks? How does Malthusianism, free of any modern political agenda, inform your lyrical content, if at all?

Malthusian: We are more concerned with artistic expression than presenting any sort of formal political agenda. Malthus's theory of human population being regulated through epidemic, war, natural disasters, crop failure and such struck a chord with us and gave us a starting point in terms of lyrical inspiration. That said, we have not and will not be restricting ourselves to such matters. The name simply captured the feeling that we were developing with the music, it sounded intriguing and a little bit different to the normal Death Metal band names you see everywhere. We are not interested in toeing the line or worrying about other people's notions of what a DM band should conform to.

(((o))): Coming from diverse acts such as On Pain Of Death, Altar Of Plagues, Wreck Of The Hesperus and Mourning Beloveth, what led you all to get together to create an arguably even more sickening noise than all your other bands?

Malthusian: The constant need to express ourselves through dark, unpleasant music was all the motivation we needed. 

(((o))): With many underground acts these days operating outside of traditional genre structures, blurring the lines between death, black and doom metal, does not being so strictly defined keep things more interesting from a songwriting perspective?

Malthusian: The initial idea was to play Death Metal and that style forms the core of our sound. We all listen to a wide array of music so naturally Black and Doom elements crept in and we all felt that they helped to enrich the songs so it seemed ridiculous to not include them out of some sense of purity. We all have an instinctive understanding of what does and doesn't fit at this point but that is not to say that unforeseen elements won't be absorbed into our sound in future.

(((o))): Also, do you think that lack of definition helps garner more interest from people who wouldn't ordinarily discover your music? For instance, a black metal fan who can't stand death metal, but finds both elements within your sound, and as a result it opens his mind to a whole new spectrum of filth?

Malthusian: Possibly, but that is not our concern. Our mission is to write songs that make sense to us. We worked on the demo material quietly, without making a fuss over it with constant pointless messages about our movements. We simply knew what we wanted to do and worked hard to achieve that final sound. We didn't focus on any external factors, we concentrated on creating something we could stand behind and it seems to have paid off. We don't really care about converting people to anything, everyone can find their own path.

(((o))): The Irish scene is extremely fertile and quite close-knit, or at least it can appear so to those outside of the country. Do you find this to be the case? What other projects should those who may unfamiliar with Ireland's underground be checking out?

Malthusian: Actually the scene here often seems quite fractured. There are lots of micro scenes busily doing their own things without much regard for each other. There has been some bleeding of individuals between the Punk/Hardcore and Metal scenes in recent years yielding some really positive results, as well as some excellent bands playing exclusively in those separate styles. Slidhr, Rebirth of Nefast, Zom, Fuil na Seanchoille, Sodb, Tome and Nomadic Rituals are worth investigating.

(((o))): So many underground acts record a blistering demo full of potential, then disappear into obscurity. With your debut release already under your belt, is there a plan to eventually record more material, or is MMXIII a full statement of intent that requires no follow-up?

Malthusian: We recorded a fourth song while we were in the studio and we have that lined up for a split that will be announced in due course. The next move is to start working on an album and ideas for that are already beginning to come together, if only in a vague, abstract way.

(((o))): The band made its live debut alongside Gospel Of The Horns, Bölzer, Zom and Dread Sovereign in Dublin this year, and you're also playing a record release show in Dublin with the mighty Urfaust. Do you have any plans to spread the wretched message outside of Ireland?

Malthusian: We will also be playing with Bölzer and Zom in December. We have no plans to tour outside of Ireland but we are certainly open to interesting offers.

(((o))): Personally I'd love to see you on a bill with the likes of Dragged Into Sunlight or Coffinworm, but what bands would you love to share a lineup with? Feel free to be completely unrealistic.

Malthusian: Irkallian Oracle, Slidhr, Dead Congregation, Grave Miasma, Svartidaudi, Portal etc....'

Be sure to pick up a copy of MMXIII from Invictus while you can, as it's limited to 300 copies. Order it here.

(((o))): So, first and foremost, who are Envoys and what are your musical backgrounds?

We are a post-metal band from Leeds. We’ve been involved in various heavy bands in the city, mostly metal bands of some description. Now we’re doing something a bit different, so “post-metal” seems to fit as a tag most of the time.

(((o))): How did the band come together?

Chris (drums) and I (Stephen, guitar) went to school together and, like all the best musicians of our generation, we bonded over a shared love for nu metal. We played together in Cotheria for about five years, and then we formed Envoys in early 2011 with Tom (guitar), who I had known for years, and Dan (bass), who appeared out of the ether like some mysterious, moustachioed gift from the gods.

(((o))): Please describe your sound in poetic form. (Haiku, rhyming couplets, acrostic, etc - take your pick)

At first it’s too loud

Your ears recoil, then slowly

Pain ends: riffs emerge.

(((o))): How has your local scene impacted you as a band?

Leeds has been really good to us. We haven’t had a duff gig here, and that’s in no small part thanks to good promoters like Paulie P and Stew at Bad Owl. Some of my favourite bands of all time have come out of Leeds, so that has been big for me, and we are friends with a lot of talented producers, sound engineers, artists, luthiers – so many people who make this a great place to make music.

(((o))): You’ve just had your new album out. What can you tell us about that? How is it a progression from your previous work?

Before Violescent, all we had put out was a three-track demo. The album is a much richer, denser piece of work, bringing in a lot of new elements and sounds. Recording it ourselves allowed us to experiment tonally, and we also roped in friends to play cello, trumpet, and multiple drum ensembles!

(((o))): What would you say you are envoys of? Darkness? Doom? The forthcoming return of the saviour...?

We talk about ethical food shopping a lot. We are all particularly about not buying asparagus out of season. Perhaps that’s our key message for the world. We are Envoys of ethical asparagus.

(((o))): What do you think is the most difficult challenge facing new bands starting out in the music industry today?

We’ve all got pretty busy lives, so finding time for networking and “admin” seems to be a challenge for us. However, more important has got to be finding your own sound and not churning out something utterly derivative of other bands. Writing honestly and working hard at your music is always the most important, and most difficult, thing.

(((o))): Every band has different aims. What would have to happen for Envoys to make you feel that you’d “made it”, so to speak?

Playing the festivals I have always attended as a punter, every summer.

(((o))): You’re given the opportunity to create your own All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival. What would be the first five bands on your list?

Pelican, Radiohead, Mogwai, Sigur Ros, Sunn O)))

(((o))): Are there any upcoming bands you’d like us to feature soon?

Magnapinna have been around in Leeds for a while but don’t get talked about enough considering how good they are. The same goes for Himself. Also, False Flags are about to make a bit of a comeback and they’re well worth your time.

(((o))): What are the band’s plans for the near future?

Gigs around the UK over the next couple of months, then back out to mainland Europe in the New Year. We also got treated like royalty by our mates Eye of Daw in Belgium recently, so we’re planning a reet Yorkshire do for them when they come over in the spring!

If you read my review of Incubate Festival earlier this year you will have noticed that I was blown away by Dutch instrumental noise rockers Mannheim...so now here they are in the Echoes of the Future column for you to check out as well. Highly recommended for fans of everything from And So I Watch You from Afar to Breach, from Fire! to Shellac. 

(((o))): So, first and foremost, who are Mannheim and what are your musical backgrounds?

Mannheim is Mark (Guitar), Otto(Saxophone/Electronics), Jochem(Drums) and Henry(Bass).

(((o))): How did the band come together?

Most of us have been playing in bands their whole lives. Mark, Otto and Jochem have been playing together for some time now, experimenting around in different formations. Mannheim was formed early in 2012. We immediately started to write the music for Super-Empowered.

(((o))): Please describe your sound in poetic form. (Haiku, rhyming couplets, acrostic, etc - take your pick)

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

(((o))): How has your local scene impacted you as a band?

Mark: Not so much actually.. Our local scene is really great and we see a lot of talented people doing very creative things. With Mannheim though, we’ve never really tried to fit into a scene. We’re just not that band I guess.

Otto: Then again there are a lot of great people in our local scene who have showed us a lot of support and have helped us to start out as a band

(((o))): Your debut album came out earlier this year. What can you tell us about that?

Mark: From the start, the album has been our main focus. We wanted to make an album that wouldn’t just sound like a demo or ‘first EP’. We put a lot of time and effort in the production value. We decided to work together with producer Rene Rutten (The Gathering) which definitely helped us bringing the album to a higher level. As for the song writing itself, it took us a year to write all the songs and to make all the pre productions.

Otto: To be honest, I think the end product is pretty unique.

(((o))): I’m curious about the inclusion of saxophone in your music, because it works really well and doesn’t sound forced at all. Is the music written around the sax parts, or are they added into songs that the rest of the band have already worked on?

Mark: For a lot of the songs I made the rough versions at home. I tend to fill things up without much room for a designated saxophone part. Otto handles this really well by always trying to complement the overall sound instead of creating his own little spot in a song. On the other hand, we have a song called ‘The Filth’ which started out on saxophone. It’s like the saxophone part is the main guitar riff.

In the end we’re not crazy skilled musicians, we’re not bothered by too many rules how music “should be done”. That gives us more freedom to focus on the overall sound and impact I think.

(((o))): I was blown away by your set at Incubate Festival earlier this year. Who were your highlights from that weekend?

Mark: I barely had the chance to check out the other bands. I did catch a glimpse of Sex Jams. Cool Band. I hate that I had to miss out on Mylets.

Otto: Louis Minus XVI, Kanine, Fire! and Shonen Knife.

(((o))): What do you think is the most difficult challenge facing new bands starting out in the music industry today?

Otto: There are tons of bands out there that make decent music but there is only that much room to make an impression on your potential listeners.  Nobody is looking for you so you have to reach out to them A LOT.  Musicians are not sales people so there is a real challenge there. Being findable is one thing, being found is another.

Mark: I think you always need to be on the move, you can’t afford to sit still. You can’t expect anyone to do something for you.

(((o))): Every band has different aims. What would have to happen for Mannheim to make you feel that you’d “made it”, so to speak?

Mark: I always wanted to make an album. Now that we have an album I want to make another one. It never ends. I don’t think I’ll ever make it!

Otto: “Making it” isn’t really a goal. Goals are more practical like playing a certain festival or touring in a certain place. I hope I never “make it”. It must feel like a huge void to know that you’ve made it.

(((o))): You’re given the opportunity to curate your own All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival. What would be the first five bands on your list?

Otto: The Body, Lighting Bolt, Locrian, Pharmakon, Colin Stetson.

Mark: Oh boy.. Ok fast and random:  And So I Watch You From Afar, Deafheaven, Mylets, Fuck Buttons, Deerhoof

(((o))): Are there any upcoming bands you’d like us to feature soon?

Zeus!, Staer, Svartvit, Distel, Gum Takes Tooth.

(((o))): What are the band’s plans for the near future?

Mark: Next year we want to focus more on Europe instead of just NL and we’ll definitely start working on a follow up for Super-Empowered.

Check out Mr Munchkin Streams for more quality Dutch music!

When Nami’s new album The Eternal Light of the Unconscious Mind landed in metal editor Sander van den Driesche’s inbox he was very impressed as it is a great progressive metal album (read Sander’s review here). When Sander realised Nami is from the small European country Andorra he was even more impressed and decided to ask the band some questions. Drummer Bobby Verdeguer and bass player Ricard Tolosa anserwed the questions.

(((o))): Hey guys, thanks for doing this interview with Ech(((o)))es and Dust. I’m pretty sure a lot of our readers wouldn’t have heard of Nami yet, so can you introduce the band to us please?

Nami: We are Nami, a nice group of people from Andorra, a small country between France and Spain of 80,000 inhabitants. We don’t like genres neither music categories, we just play the music we feel. Of course, we feel related with the metal scene, but we try not to focus on the music style.

(((o))): Can you give us a brief background on the band and how you guys got together and how would you describe the music you play?

Nami: We started the band in 2007 but right now there are just two guys remaining, Ricard and Bobby. We started as an instrumental band because we couldn’t find any singer in Andorra! Then Roger [Andreu, vocals] joined the band, our previous guitar players left, and Filipe [Baldaia, guitars and vocals] came on board. Approximately 1 year and a half after the recording of Fragile Alignments, which is our first record, another guitarist left, and Iván [Marín, guitars] joined as our new guitar player. We’ve been together for more than a year with this current line-up, and we think it’s going to last like this!

We’d like to say that we play music, without any description, but, if we have to pick a couple of genres, we will probably say post-prog-metal or something? [laughs]

(((o))): I’ve listened to the new album The Eternal Light of the Unconscious Mind a couple of times now and I would like to congratulate you with this album as I think it’s great! Can you tell us a bit about the recording process?

Nami: First of all, thank you! About the recording process, it was probably one of the hardest moments of our career. We recorded and edited everything in three months and we really thought that it would be impossible to make it on time. Finally after the huge amount of hours spent, the stress, the sleepless moments… we made it! The first record took us like one year, we were younger and we had a lot of problems during the recording process, so, it has been really different with the new one.

(((o))): There is a lot of complexity on The Eternal Light of the Unconscious Mind, with some amazingly skilled playing. Have you all been playing your instruments for a long time?

Nami: We started to play our instruments when we were teenagers…Anyway, the matter is that we try to practice a lot by ourselves and that some of us enjoyed a modern music training. We all like to know and understand what we are playing and bring to the music the feeling we want.  

(((o))): How does Nami usually write the songs?

Nami: We write our ideas and then we send them to each other. After learning and listening of those ideas, we go to our rehearsal room and we play and give form to the songs. Some of the tracks of this album (i.e. ‘The Animal and the Golden Throne’ or ‘Silent Mouth’) were created while Bobby and Filipe were jamming at our rehearsal room. The thing is that Ricard lives and works in Barcelona, a 3h drive from Andorra, so we can’t see each other as often as we want. We send a lot of e-mails, use Dropbox, guitar pro, we record some of the rehearsals, etc.

(((o))): Can you tell us a bit more about the concept behind The Eternal Light of the Unconscious Mind?

Nami: The album focuses mainly on dreams, dreams we had when we were kids, or just during the recording, it didn’t matter, as we welcomed all our dreams. It was amazing to sit together and talk about our dreams, the deepest ones, not just our common dreams, like the band or something… Cause there are a lot of personal things there, so, it is really intense for us… With The Eternal Light Of The Unconscious Mind we wanted to give to the listener the opportunity to create his own story and use our music as the soundtrack. It’s one of the things we really love about this album… It’s a good soundtrack for this season as it has an autumn/winter mood to it we all love.

(((o))): I usually read a press release coming with a new promo after I’ve listened to it first and I was quite surprised to find out that Nami is from Andorra. I think you’re the first Andorran band I’ve ever listened to! Is it difficult being in a band coming from such a small country?

Nami: The biggest problem is that Andorra is not a member of the EU, and we are just in the middle of it! That’s why we have a lot of problems to cross the border to play outside our country; we need to do a lot of paperwork…

On the other hand Andorra is a beautiful country, surrounded by mountains and nature and these are big influences to our music. The other cool thing is that despite the economic situation, our Government tries to help the bands, with free rehearsal places or giving little grants to record.

(((o))): I did some research on metal bands coming from Andorra and I couldn’t find many. Is there a scene at all? Are you very dependent on going outside Andorra for tours and gigs to actually be able to get to play at all?

Nami: Andorra is full of talented musicians in both classical and modern music actually! Talking about metal itself, the biggest and the pioneer metal band in the country is Persefone. They are the “daddies” of the metal in Andorra and they are really good friends of our band. Concerning the gigs, none European tour books shows in our country and we need to take a ride to Barcelona or France (approximately 3 hours away) to see our favourite bands. There are some initiatives like the Rockòdrom that our friend Santi Casas organises to try keeping the music scene alive in Andorra.

For us as a band it’s the same thing. We usually play a couple of shows a year in Andorra but we need to check outside our borders in order to play and eventually find a tour. So if you want to see us live contact us! [laughs]

(((o))): What are Nami’s influences? I can hear a bit of The Ocean, Gojira and Textures on the latest release, but what can you tell us about this?

Nami: The fact is that all of us have different kind of influences. Bobby for example, loves French alternative rock and screamo, bands like Daïtro, Agora Fidelio, Sed Non Satiata etc. Filipe grew up listening 70’s psychedelic rock, but he usually listen a lot of underground music, genres such as drone or post-rock. He also listens to a lot of Portuguese traditional music, and you can actually hear some Fado passages on the new album.  Ivan’s favourite band is Opeth, he loves Gojira, he is the biggest metalhead from the band! [laughs] Ricard listens to Cynic, Riverside and a lot of prog-metal. Finally Roger grew up listening to Iron Maiden, Pantera, Sepultura and all the 90’s extreme metal scene, but his biggest vocal influence is Katatonia. Then we have common influences such as The Ocean, Anathema, Mastodon, Biffy Clyro, Queens of the Stone Age, Radiohead, etc. So it’s a big mix really!

(((o))): Does Andorra have any national heroes? And does Andorra have a national mascot? If so, is this also Nami’s favourite animal or would you rather be a different kind of animal?

Nami: There are no national heroes here or anything similar! We have an animal here called “isard”, similar to a chamois, kind of a goat with horns. They are using it as symbol or something, but it’s not official. The official symbols of Andorra are our flag, the shield of the flag and our national anthem. So, our official language is Catalan, and we are a parliamentary co-principality with the President of France and the Bishop of Urgell (Catalonia), even if they really do nothing for us [laughs]. We can talk about our country for hours, but that’s ok [laughs]. About the animals, we really like the wolf, even if there are no wolves now in Andorra… Our good friend Isma created a clothing company called Wolf Meat, so yes, we will pick the wolf as a favourite animal!

(((o))): Assuming you tour a lot to promote your music, can you tell us a good anecdote of something what happened on the road or at a gig?

Nami: We hope to tour a lot but unfortunately we don’t have as many opportunities as we wish to have. Anyway, each one of our trips has a pretty funny story to tell, the next anecdote happened at the first big festival we played (Costa de Fuego in Valencia, Spain). There were huge bands playing such as Marilyn Manson, Guns N’ Roses, Opeth and In Flames. We were extremely excited as you can imagine. The thing is when Marilyn Manson and his crew arrived, the organization kicked everyone off the backstage area [laughs]. When we say everyone we mean every single band. It was funny to see all these musicians we love really pissed off [laughs]!

(((o))): How did you get to know Loïc Rossetti [singer in The Ocean] and how did you get him to sing on one of your songs?

Nami: Bobby added him on facebook a few years ago and thought it could be awesome to have him sing on the new album! We sent him a pre-production and he answered back that he will sing if he liked the song, because if not, it would be difficult for him to believe in the song. A few days later he sent us the vocal lines you can hear on ‘Silent Mouth’, which are pretty awesome!

(((o))): If you would to be able to organise your own one day festival, what bands would you want to play with?

Nami: First of all we would book bands that are friends of us, such as Persefone, Eternal Storm from Madrid or Moonloop from Barcelona. Then we would obviously book a few of our favourite bands, but it will be definitely a miscellaneous festival with Radiohead, Gojira, Dead Can Dance, The Ocean, City And Colour and the reunion of ISIS [laughs].

(((o))): What has Nami planned for the rest of this year and 2014? A lot of touring to promote the new album I assume? Any plans to come to the UK and maybe go to other continents?

Nami: We are working to confirm some dates before the end of the year and in a few weeks we will release the music video for the song ‘Ariadna’. Actually we don’t have any plan to come visit you guys [in the UK], we are looking for a support tour in Europe as our main objective for 2014, we will do our best and work hard to accomplish it! Hope to see you in the UK very soon.

We never toured in Europe before and hope we will have the chance to do it with this new album to share with you all the energy of this album live!

(((o))): Thank you very much for this interview guys! Is there anything you would like to add?

Nami: First of all we want to thank Ech(((o)))es and Dust and Sander for their time and support. We also want to thank you to spend some of your time to read this interview. You can listen to our new album on Deezer, Spotify or on our Bandcamp page. If you like it, help us by buying the album or some merch in our official store [editor: they have some really nice bundles available!], it’s really important for us as it help us to keep working on this dream. You can also check our website or contact us through our social media sites.

Thanks for your support guys. Hope to see you live very soon!

(((o))): So tell us a little about yourselves for our readers, how did the band form, what were your influences?

Casey: Our main influence when we formed the band was finding a cure for boredom… We were in the ninth grade and looking for fun stuff to do. We turned to music, which I guess is better than a lot of the other stuff you could turn to in ninth grade. Musically, Nirvana was the band that brought us all together, then almost immediately after that, Wilco became the biggest influence.

(((o))): What were your favourite albums growing up, and what are they now? 

Johnny: Growing up, there were a bunch, but these are some that stand out in my memory: Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot; Radiohead - Kid A; Nirvana - Nevermind. Today it changes constantly:  James Blake - Overgrown; Beach House - Bloom; Tame Impala - Lonerism. 

(((o))): What current music is currently on your iPod?

Casey: Lot of current favorites. The new MGMT album has been growing on me, really cool production. Kurt Vile, James Blake, Kanye West albums have been on pretty much constant rotation since they came out. Eagerly anticipating the new Arcade Fire, too - 'Reflektor' is such a jam.

(((o))): For a band who is relatively unknown in the UK, how would you describe your music?

Johnny: Akin to putting on a pair of new socks.

(((o))): Hexagon is your fifth release now, how does it stand next to your previous releases? 

Johnny: Part of the same creative thread but with a different spin.  It’s more focused on how the music translates live.

(((o))): Talk me through some of the songs, where does inspiration come from?

Casey: I wish there was a inspiration bag we could just open whenever we needed some… instead it just decides to rear its head in seemingly random, isolated instances. 'New Local' - that opening section didn't exist until one day when a few of our friends dropped by the studio, one with a dog she was babysitting. We had a mic set up in the room so we hit record on what was just a genuinely good hang, and noodling away during that moment, that piano line was what seemed to score the scene appropriately. We left the conversation, and dog panting, on the record because it was a rare moment of inspiration converging with articulation.

(((o))): One highlight is 'Money on the Dark Horse', there is a great Southern feel about it and more than a hint of ZZ Top...your thoughts? 

Johnny: Everyone wants to be a sharp dressed man. Except women.

(((o))): You've toured with some big names in the past. How is the reception when faced with, say, a couple of thousand Black Keys fans? Or in that case, how do these bands treat you? 

Johnny: All of the musicians in bands that we have opened for have all been great people. We're still waiting to meet the temper tantrum divas out there. The crowds have all been cool. Most people are generally there to have a good time, not bringing tomatoes.

(((o))): Does it have any bearing on how you approach your music? What sort of things do you learn from this experience?

Johnny: You learn that a big show is nothing but a bigger garage. If it doesn't work in a small setting, it sure as hell won't work elsewhere.

our repertoire for years, but every night it's a little different. Songs evolve, but for this record we had already been playing most of the songs live before we tracked them in the studio, so you're hearing a little more of a "refined" product - which, somewhat backwardly, sounds more jammy.

(((o))): You have received a fair few plaudits in your time which must be great for the band. One of the most unusual is being cultural ambassadors. What exactly does this entail? It's not something we have over here in the UK. 

Johnny: You don’t have any? I thought that The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper’s attire was full-on ambassador clothing? The U.S. State Department asked us to participate in a program called the Arts Envoys Program in which members of the American arts community go abroad and engage in the arts with other cultures in order to learn and to share. We’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to go around the world and see many inspiring musicians and musical traditions.  

(((o))): Any amusing anecdotes of your time on the road? 

Johnny: Plenty. Haunted hotel room in Tennessee. The grizzly bear at our campsite in Wyoming - Snickers bar left out. Porch scene in rural Mississippi. A couple years ago we played before Johnny Flynn in an outdoor show in Didcot. Right when one of his lyrics referred to sunshine, the clouds opened up and the sun shone through on the whole crowd. Everyone went wild. Flailing tears. Not bad having the big man upstairs running lights. 

(((o))): What plans for the future, any UK dates planned?

Johnny: Nothing on the books yet, but we'll be back soon.

(((o))): Lastly, anything you would like to say to our readers?

Casey: Yes… if you've made it all the way through our musings and digressions… congrats! That, and please stay tuned, because we're in our studio in LA writing the next record and we're beyond excited to share it with everyone.

Ahead of her forthcoming tours of Australia and Europe (including a London show promoted by our buddies at Chaos Theory), Jarboe (formerly Michael Gira's key creative partner in Swans) took time out of her busy schedule to answer some quick questions from our features editor Benjamin Bland. 

(((o))): So, you’re just about to go out on a pretty huge tour, including a few UK stops. What can you tell us about your plans for the shows with regard to performance style, setlist, etc?

We’re performing acoustic versions from my career via guitar and voices. There are songs from Swans and World of Skin (Skin in the UK originally) as well as my solo material - even unreleased songs.

(((o))): P. Emerson Williams is joining you on stage each night as guitarist. How did you start working with him?

I learned of his work through a mutual friend. I was impressed with what I heard. 

(((o))): How wearing is it on your voice to have to play night after night for several weeks? Is that something that ever concerns you or something that has caused problems?

Sure, the voice changes with overuse. The way to handle this overuse is to be silent except for the show. After all, it is the audience experience that is most important for a show and for a tour.

(((o))): You’re a prolific collaborator as well as a prolific solo artist.  How do you go about deciding who to work with? 

I would call it gut instinct. I ‘read’ people and sense their sincerity and motivation and ability to follow through in addition to skill level.

(((o))): Do you get a different sense of reward out of collaborative, as opposed to solo, work?

No, because I am even harder on myself and even more demanding and less easily satisfied. 

(((o))): You did a Masters dissertation on Lord Byron. What is that you find particularly inspiring and interesting about his work?

I’d say the mood of romantic love and tortured emotions is what drew me in at that stage of my life.

(((o))): I’ve always got the impression that many of the most creative musicians are inspired largely by the non-musical. Would you say that applies to you?

Yes, very much so. I am an avid film buff, as well as a dedicated follower of extreme fashion and design, architecture, and all the visual arts. I’m also very interested in gourmet cuisine and wine!

(((o))): Having said that, I am interested to know if you listen to much new music at all. If so what sort of music have you found inspiring in recent times?

I am a massive Tricky fan and own everything he has released and listen to it all constantly.  To me, he is a pure genius.

(((o))): I believe you have been writing your memoirs. How is that progressing? 

Yes, I have been doing so for years now. It is one main reason why I am going to the desert and Iceland in 2014 - for the isolation.

(((o))): I know you’ve reinvented a few Swans songs for your solo performances in the past, and the entire Swans discography has a feel of reinvention in it for me. Do you think reinventing your art, whether stylistically or purely sonically, is key to creating continually interesting music?

As I understand the vocabulary in the work with which I absorbed and sculpted, it is natural to express an essence of that creation, that child. As or creating itself, I have done numerous albums with a different sensibility from Swans and in fact am doing a modern jazz/blues album in 2014.

(((o))): I’m particularly curious about the period in the early nineties when White Light... and Love of Life came out. The former especially is one of my favourite Swans records, but it seems from various statements / lack of reissues / etc that Michael isn’t especially keen on that period of the band anymore! Do you agree with me when I say that period of the band has perhaps been overlooked? Why do you think that is?

White Light from the Mouth of Infinity is brilliant. I am proud of both of those albums. They shine. The reissue that Michael named Various Failures is the opposite of that title. It is magnificent. The most highly sought after album of all the Swans albums to date is the original issue of White Light from the Mouth of Infinity. I am also very proud of my keyboard work on that album.

(((o))): I know it must be tricky to think about, but I cannot help but wonder which records, or individual songs, have been most successful at translating your creative vision over the years?

The entire Anhedoniac album is my private and personal masterpiece.

Jarboe Tour Dates:

Thu 07.11.13 The Corner Hotel, Melbourne, Australia.

Fri 08.11.13 The Annandale Hotel, Sydney, Australia. 

Sat 09.11.13 The Zoo, Brisbane, Australia.

Sun 10.11.13 The Rosemont Hotel, Perth, Australia.

Mon 18.11.13 The Exchange, Bristol, UK. 

Tue 19.11.13 The Courtyard@The Rainbow,Birmingham, UK. 

Wed 20.11.13 Nice N Sleazy, Glasgow, UK.

Thu 21.11.13 Sacred Trinity Church, Manchester, UK.

Fri 22.11.13 Blå, Oslo, Norway. 

Sat 23.11.13 St Leonard's Church, London, UK. 

Sun 24.11.13 Winston, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Tue 26.11.13 La Boite, Madrid, Spain. 

Wed 27.11.13 ZDB, Lisbon, Portugal. 

Thu 28.11.13 Le Bukowski, San Sebastian, Spain.

Fri 29.11.13 NIU Espai Artistic Contemporani (Rocksound), Barcelona, Spain. 

Sat 30.11.13 SAS, Delémont, Switzerland. 

Sun 01.12.13 Marina Rijeka, Croatia

Tues 03.12.13 LoFi, Milano,Italy

Wed 04.12.13 Freakout Club, Bologna, Italy.

Thu 05.12.13 Dal Verme, Roma, Italy.

Sat 07.12.13 Six D.O.G.S., Athens, Greece. 

Sun 08.12.13 Mavri Trypa, Thessaloniki, Greece.

Tue 10.12.13 Slavianska Beseda, Sofia, Bulgaria. 

Wed 11.12.13 Club Control, Bucharest, Romania.

Thu 12.12.13 Rocktogon, Budapest, Hungary. 

Fri 13.12.13 Potrva, Prague, Czech Republic. 

Sat 14.12.13 Energy of the Sound Festival,Agora,Wroclaw (Breslau), Poland.

Mon 16.12.13 Narauti, Vilnius, Lithuania. 

Tue 17.12.13 Nabaklaba, Riga, Latvia. 

Wed 18.12.13 Von Krahl, Tallinn, Estonia. 

Thu 19.12.13 Kuudes Linja, Helsinki, Finland.

Fri 20.12.13 DaDa Club, Saint Petersburg Russia

Sat 21.12.13 DOM club, Moscow, Russia

It was a fitting coincidence that I met up with Armed for Apocalypse guitarist Cayle Hunter and drummer Nick Harris only a few hours after the band’s campaign on crowdfunding site Kickstarter — begun the week before in a harried attempt to fund flights to Europe for a three week string of shows (including a UK tour with 36 Crazyfists and shows with Napalm Death and Hatebreed) — had met its $5,000 funding goal. The day was also something of a homecoming for the Chico, CA based quintet, who had only two days before returned from a grueling month-long US tour on the heels of releasing their highly anticipated sophomore record, The Road Will End on Ironclad Records in the US, and Candlelight Records in Europe earlier this year. But such skin-of-their-teeth turnarounds and triumphs have become something of the norm for Armed for Apocalypse, or A4A for short.

In the four years since making their debut on 2009’s Defeat, A4A has added a member - touring guitarist Nate Burman is now an official member alongside Hunter, Harris, vocalist/guitarist Kirk Williams and bassist/vocalist Corey Vaspra — made their way across America a couple of times, toured Europe with Sepultura and Crowbar, and took their sweet ass time crafting their recently minted follow-up disc. But the extra time spent on The Road Will End has paid dividends; the sometimes hodgepodge array of influences the band showed on Defeat has coalesced into a mature, diabolically heavy sound, seamlessly integrating sludgy downtuned riffs with haunting melodicism, with incessantly angry vocals layered atop of the whole mess. Over the course of an hour, we discussed the bands’ long-awaited return to Europe, the stark contrasts between national and international touring, and how The Road Will End might actually be just the beginning.

(((o))): You guys met your goal on Kickstarter today to fund your travel expenses to Europe. How did the idea of going over there get started in the first place?

Cayle: The record came out and we started getting press from our label, Candlelight over in the UK. They sent out the record to different press outlets - this website probably even got one at some point - and would just forward on to me “oh here this site reviewed it, this magazine reviewed it.” And the press was amazing. We would get all these “10 out of 10”, “album of the year” “5 out of 5”, all of these really cool reviews. They were shocking to us. Our last record got some really great ones too, but a lot of mediocre reviews. And that’s what you expect. But it was going so well, that our US label head was like “You guys should look into touring over there. You obviously connect with them really well. That audience is readymade for you.” So I just hit Candelight up and asked “Is there anything we could possibly even look into hopping before the end of the year?” Because if you start putting it off until next year, the record’s already forgotten about, right? We wanted to keep the momentum. And he literally the next day wrote me back “Hey what about this 36 Crazyfists tour? They said you guys can play main support if you say yes.” So then we just started to try to put it all together, having no idea of how we were gonna get over there, we just knew that the guarantees of the shows was going to be almost exactly the amount that we needed to get around once we got there, to stay in hotels and put gas in the van. We couldn’t even afford to rent gear. We’re borrowing gear from our record label, one of the dudes there. That’s how little money we had. So we had to put all that together first: “If we make it over there, can we get around, can we afford to live and get city to city?” But it came over that we needed to confirm it or not, because they were booking the dates. So we said yes without having any clue of how we were gonna make it happen. And then we knew we were going on a tour for a month in the United States, so its not like we get to be home and work. That’s how it normally works: you go on a tour, come home and work, save up a little bit of money and go out again. But we didn’t have time for that.

Nick: It’s like 27 days that we have in between, which is not very long.

Cayle: It’s enough time to get one paycheck if you work. And you still have rent and everything to pay.

(((o))): So was that when the Kickstarter idea came up?

Cayle: We didn’t have any plan for how it was going to happen, at all. We started talking about a Kickstarter, we had seen other people be successful with it, so we just said “We’re gonna do a Kickstarter and then work really hard for it and see how far we can get.” And so we put it out there, as a total Hail Mary, like if this works out, then we can go, but if not then we’ll probably disappoint a lot of people and never be able to tour over there again, probably burn a lot of bridges and it was just gonna be a mess. But it was just something you couldn’t say no to. If we didn’t take that chance, we weren’t gonna tour over there again anyway. It was like: we’re gonna take a chance and if it works out then great, and if it doesn’t, it isn’t gonna work out anyway. So it was worth the risk. And then the Kickstarter got funded and it’s totally mind-blowing. In your head, you knew you were gonna work hard for it, and we’ve had a lot of people who’ve been really nice to us, but I was still totally in shock that it actually happened.

Nick: We were on the road when the Kickstarter started, and it was for 14 days. And today there’s three days left. So it’s weird, that it wasn’t that long ago.

Cayle: It was a 14 day Kickstarter that raised $5,000 dollars. You just don’t think that’s gonna happen.

Nick: Day one, we were like “holy crap, this is gonna work!” But then day seven, it was just, stagnant.

(((o))): Were you like “Oh shit…”?

Nick: In the first 2 days, we were getting close. [Ironclad Records owner and Unearth vocalist] Trevor Phipps texted me and was like “You’re 1/6th of the way there.” Monday he texted me “Your Kickstarter needs a kickstart…” I texted him this morning before I knew, like “What are we gonna do?” Can they front us the tickets? Can we split it between the labels?

Cayle: We were thinking of a Hail Mary on top of a Hail Mary: who could we talk to, who could we do a favor for? I feel like we still could have gotten there, but we would have been sweating it until the last minute.

Nick: And we needed to buy the tickets, like, tomorrow; the sooner the better.

Cayle: You never know with plane tickets, maybe its gonna be a popular flight, and tickets go up. But we lucked out.

(((o))): Part of your drive to get there is that you guys have been there already with Sepultura a couple years ago?

Cayle: Yeah it was killer. That was probably the peak of our musical lives, thus far.

Nick: And the new record seems to be doing better there. Every single review from over there just seems better. It seems like things are moving faster over there.

(((o))): Why do you think that is?

Nick: Right away, the last time we were over there, we were playing in front of a lot more people. So we built a bit of a fanbase. We sold merch every night, decently well. And we were getting emails and Facebook messages from fans for years, like “What’s up with the next record? When are you guys coming back over?” So people were just waiting. On our US tour, we were playing in front of 7 people every night. So one person from every place that we played might be waiting for the new record…[laughs]

Cayle: It’s weird though, as far as our type of music being more accepted over there. It’s a strange thing. Will Haven did better over there, Abominable Iron Sloth did really well over there when I was in that band. Ghostride did better over there; basically every band that I’ve ever been in has done better over there than over here. And I don’t really know what it is. Same with Crowbar: Crowbar kills over there. They do really well. And Sepultura. We toured with them over there and they did really well. They did OK in the US, because they hadn’t been over here for like a decade.

Nick: And they were nervous about coming back over here.

Cayle: It’s just really strange why it catches on over there. I don’t really know, but I love it. I’m really thankful for it. Randy from Lamb of God said the same thing: they busted their humps forever in the States, and then they got their first European tour, and people embraced them right away and they were able to build on it so much faster than they were in the States. And he loved the European fans, they just jumped on new heavy music. And he also said what he noticed, is that European metalheads aren’t as bound to age. Metal is a very young man’s thing in America. All the Warped Tour metal bands, those are all young, young kids. There’s not a lot of new riff-based bands with dudes in the their late-20s, early-30s coming out and doing well. Everything’s all about the kids.

(((o))): Seems like there’s a certain amount of dumbing down that bands do to cater to that age bracket.

Cayle: You have to. You have to have your band name written out in that certain font, you have to have those choruses and those certain types of riffs, otherwise you’re on the outside looking in. I get why bands do it, and I’m not even hating on them at all. If you want to be in a popular band, there’s a little bit more of a formula to take you there. But in Europe, I feel like they like us maybe because we’re a little different. And it’s our job as a band, whenever there’s a spark, whenever anyone shows any kind of interest in our band, you better get on it. Because most bands don’t see a spark anywhere. So if you see it, and you don’t do something about it, you’re a fool. There’s a teeny bit of a spark over there, so we’re just hoping for the best.

(((o))): How does it feel to be on this phase of the touring cycle, doing sort of a similar routine as the first record but the second time around?

Nick: I feel like we’re way more of a well-oiled machine, personally. Way more confidence. Even this US run we just did, 27 shows in 29 days and right now, sitting at my kit, I feel like whatever we play, you’re gonna like. We’re gonna do our thing and people are going to like it. And even if they don’t like it, they’re going to appreciate how much heart and soul.

Cayle: And I think that comes from, like you were saying, the first cycle there are questions about everything. Like, what songs are we gonna play? We didn’t even have that many songs to choose from the first time around. We played a song that wasn’t even on the record, that has never been released, on that whole tour because we didn’t have enough heaters that we felt confident in playing live. But now the second time around, we can definitely see things coming a little bit more. Before, with the first record, there were times, after it got released where everybody was just sitting “What even happens now, I feel like we’re not doing anything. Is anything gonna happen?” And I would always say,  “It always happens slow until it happens fast.” Nothing goes on, but when it starts, then it goes really fast.

(((o))): And things have sort of followed that trend this time, where things all seem to happen at once. Where you’re on this last tour, wondering what you’re gonna do then suddenly today it all works out.

Cayle: This morning I got two texts from Nick in a row. One of them was “We’re fucked” and the next one was like “Holy Fuck!”

Nick: I seriously woke up and I fought it “He’s doing family stuff, he’s doing family stuff but as soon as it’s 8 o’clock I’m gonna hit him up, like what do we do, what do we do? How are we gonna do this?” I went through, like 20 different scenarios, of what do we do? Should we do this? But then I got the text “I don’t know if you guys have seen the Kickstarter yet, but we made the goal.” And I was like WHAT? I guess I should’ve checked that first. [laughs]

Cayle: It was crazy because it was so comical. I had just learned about it when I got your text, “What the fuck are we gonna do?” It was pretty nuts. But now we know where we were lacking the first time, on the first record: what did we do wrong on the business side, what did we do wrong touring. There were so many things that we just didn’t know, that now we can say “We don’t want to do that, because that’s not going to help us. We’ve tried that and failed before. Here’s what we need to succeed.” Now we can dictate what we need and try to make that happen, as opposed to just being a slave to what people hand you. “Oh here’s this tour, you’re gonna lose a ton of money on it.” Now we can just say no, we’re not gonna do that, and say it with confidence.

(((o))): Was there a similar feeling as far as the songwriting went for the new record? There seems to be palpable change from the last record to this one.

Nick: I think we went to Europe, last time and we learned from the best: Sepultura, Crowbar and Hamlet. Those guys have all been in bands for 15, 20 years. We watched how they did things. And we also watched how they approached things. When we came home, it kind of just flew out of us, the way a song should flow. It kind of just came out naturally, this record. Just literally learning from the best bands, who have been doing it forever.

Cayle: What I took from it, personally, is that they’re still able to play songs that they’re been playing for 20 years every night and they’re still relevant. Because they’re good songs. So we learned that instead of just being the loudest, craziest thing, why don’t we just write good songs and play them in a loud heavy way, and its gonna come out so much better. And then we stopped just taking the next part that came along in a song. Sometimes you can do that, and write a song really fast. But your next instinct isn’t necessarily your best, because maybe it sounds like something you’ve already written, or you’re writing a part just to write a part, to make it through the song. So we didn’t stop, until we got that feeling, on every song “I love this song, this song could be my favorite song of ours.” And then you get it again, and you get it again. And some of them happened in a day, but some of them took a year to write. We just kept pecking away at them. We just wouldn’t stop until it was a good song, all the way through.

(((o))): It almost seems like in the three years between these two records, there’s a record sort of implied that was never written or made, making this almost more like a third record.

Cayle: In a way. The first two songs on Defeat were the last two songs written, and they were kind of the spark for The Road Will End. And the first four songs we wrote for this record were almost like the last songs written for the first one. Which we were stoked on at the time, because they were better than what we were doing and they were growth, and we really loved them, but when we left on tour and saw the real deal, saw what we were up against, in the real world of music not just in our practice spot, it made us refine everything. So it’s almost like at that point, the “third record” started on its own independently. By the time it all ended, it was pretty clear which ones stood on their own and that’s why the record sounds cohesive. Once we got rid those first four, which were more like a bridge between the two and put together all of our best songs, which just happened to be our newest ones, it sounded like a full record, instead of just a collection of a bunch of songs.

(((o))): Instead of just taking whatever songs you could get pull together.

Cayle: Yeah, and the first record was like that. Record a few songs at one studio, record a couple songs at another one. Record the last two to fill out the record. Vocals in three different places. We needed a record, so we had to fill out the songs. Same with the lyrics; we’re writing lyrics as we’re recording them, because we need vocals for the last couple of songs. Writing guitar leads. We didn’t take time to ask ourselves “Are these good?” It was like  “They’re really loud, and they’re tuned low and they’re pretty pissed off sounding, so they must be good.” Not to say that the first record isn’t good but in comparison to what it could’ve been, it wasn’t. And I think that over time we’ve realized that that record probably won’t stand the test of time; there will be songs on it that are around for awhile. Probably the first few because those are the ones we put are hardest work into. Like Nick said, watching Sepultura and Crowbar be able songs that are 20 years old and have them still be good, and still be heavy. We wanted a record like that.

Nick: We watched those guys every night. I can’t remember a time when all 4 of us didn’t. Every single night, we learned.

(((o))): You guys recently made your touring guitarist Nate an official member of the band. What’s the story there?

Nick: He’s a hard working dude.

Cayle: How that came about is because of me: I have a wife and a daughter, and a steady job. So that came from me not being able to do, like this most recent US tour and just random dates. It was just weighing really heavily on me, missing out on stuff, and knowing that they were going to go out there and be a three-piece and gonna try to make the best out of it, but its just not the finished product; you’re missing a vocal, the guitar. And that’s a huge part when you’re only a four-piece band. And I didn’t know when the end of that would be, so at first, it was we needed to find someone who could come on the road with us every time, who could do merch when I was there and play when I’m not there. And Nate was the first, and really the only dude who we thought of.

Nick: He filled in for one whole tour, for nine dates. And a couple of random shows. And he lives with Kirk.

Cayle: And plus with him, when he was in his other bands around town, we love watching Nate play. So when you can get someone like that, who you’re stoked on already. So for us, it was perfect. But Nate said he couldn’t really do it, as a fill-in, because he wanted to either be in a full-time band, or go cook. He’s a really talented chef. So he said “If you want me to do the half-and-half thing, I can’t do it.” So we either had to make him a full time member, or search someone else out who we’re not really stoked on.

Nick: And he’s already our really good friend.

Cayle: Yeah and the personality is the hardest thing to find. I think any musician will tell you that. Unless you’re in some crazy shredder band, where there’s only a handful of people in the world who could play it. But for us, personality is such a huge part of it because you’re only playing a half-an-hour a day. That’s 23 other hours that you’re just hanging. Every day.

Nick: And Nate’s a really good driver…[laughs]

Cayle: Yeah that’s a plus. And now it’s still Armed for Apocalypse, even when I’m not there. And when I am there, it’s Armed for Apocalypse but even heavier. I think the only risk is that people would clown us for using three guitars. But it’s not something we can’t handle.

Nick: Here’s what I can say about three guitars. We’ve done it three times now. The first time it was like, this is cool, this is fun. We all kind of knocked the dust off of it. But the show last Friday in Chico, it was like “This is how we’re gonna do this! Holy crap.” What I’m really looking forward to is the four mics across the front.

Cayle: I knew he was going to fit right in. The only tough part is musically, when you tune that low, then you run the risk of it sounding sloppy. But that just takes hard work, to get it tighter. And work ethic, I think, is the least of our worries.

UK/Europe Tour Dates

FRI NOV 1

O2 ACADEMY - BIRMINGHAM, UK

W/ 36CRAZYFISTS & THERA

SAT NOV 2

O2 ACADEMY - OXFORD, UK

W/ 36CRAZYFISTS & THERA

SUN NOV 3

RESCUE ROOMS - NOTTINGHAM, UK

W/ 36CRAZYFISTS & THERA

MON NOV 4

THE SUGARMILL - STOKE-ON-TRENT, UK

W/ 36CRAZYFISTS & THERA

TUE NOV 5

O2 ACADEMY - LIVERPOOL, UK

W/ 36CRAZYFISTS & THERA

THU NOV 7

THE ACADEMY - MANCHESTER, UK

W/ 36CRAZYFISTS & THERA

FRI NOV 8

KING TUTS WAH WAH HUT - GLASGOW, UK

W/ 36CRAZYFISTS & THERA

SAT NOV 9

THE GARAGE/CAMPUS - ABERDEEN, UK

W/ 36CRAZYFISTS & THERA

SUN NOV 10

O2 ACADEMY - NEWCASTLE, UK

W/ 36CRAZYFISTS & THERA

MON NOV 11

THEKLA - BRISTOL, UK

W/ 36CRAZYFISTS & THERA

TUE NOV 12

THE WEDGEWOOD ROOMS - PORTSMOUTH, UK

W/ 36CRAZYFISTS & THERA

THU NOV 14

THE UNDERWORLD CAMDEN - LONDON, UK

W/ 36CRAZYFISTS & THERA

FRI NOV 15

THE ROAD MENDER - NORTHAMPTON, UK

W/ 36CRAZYFISTS & THERA

SAT NOV 16

THE COCKPIT - LEEDS, UK

W/ 36CRAZYFISTS & THERA

SUN NOV 17

CENTRAL STATION - WREXHAM, UK

W/ 36CRAZYFISTS & THERA

MON NOV 18

THE UNDERGROUND CAMDEN - LONDON, UK

W/ 36CRAZYFISTS & THERA

THU NOV 21

ASTRA - BERLIN, GR

W/ HATEBREED & NAPALM DEATH

FRI NOV 22

KUADRAT - KRAKOW, PL

W/ NAPALM DEATH

SAT NOV 23

DEKOMPRESJA - LODZ, PL

W/ NAPALM DEATH

SUN NOV 24

UCHO - GDYINA, PL

W/ NAPALM DEATH

Our reviewer Aidan Hehir described Repo Man's debut album 'All Mind in the Cat House' as "caustic, aggressive and infused with a 'we don't give a shit if you don't like this' mentality", so we figured they must be a pretty cheerful bunch to talk to. At any rate, as one of the best new bands we've discovered this year, they were prime for the Echoes of the Future treatment...

(((o))): So, first and foremost, who are Repo Man and what are your musical backgrounds?
Anthony Brown - Bass (The Happy Crayons / Macero)
Bojak - Vocals, Sax, Harmonica, Violin
Liam McConaghy - Guitar (Microdeform / Tlön)
Paul Albrecht - Drums

Ant: We are veterans of Brutar Weimaz, 94 Young Hitlers, disco cruise ship bands, improv orchestras etc

(((o))): How did the band come together?

Ant: I met Paul and Liam through Bristol Cube Cinema's Improvisatory Orchestra. Bojak I've known for about 12 years from when we lived in Worcester. The original lineup had our friend Rob on guitar and Liam was on drums but Rob decided not to move from London to Bristol, so we got Paul in and Liam moved on to guitar.

Liam: The band started out in July 2011 with our friend Rob Kent on guitar and me on drums.  Early material was entirely improvised, so the sound was quite different to how it is now.  I didn't meet Rob and Bojak until the first session.

Ant: The mission statement was 'Repo Man is always intense'. We wanted to produce what we weren't finding in other new bands at the time, maximum intensity with a full-on vocal without it slotting easily into 'punk' 'metal' or whatever other rock subgenre, and without hollow scenester posing.

Paul: I guess The Cube should take responsibility for that.

(((o))): Please describe your sound in poetic form.  (Haiku, rhyming couplets, acrostic, etc - take your pick)

Bojak: Rhyming couplets interspersed with prosaic scatological misanthropy, a wedge of lime is then wrapped around the end a stethoscope, which is then inserted (with benign contempt) down an obliging urethra .

(((o))): How has your local scene impacted you as a band? 

Liam: Bristol has a thriving DIY culture so that has probably influenced the way we've approached things, but I wouldn't say we're part of any specific scene.  We've tended to do our own thing.  We've been fortunate to find a few promoters willing to let us curate our own lineups and that's worked well for us as that way people tend come along for the whole night rather than just to see one band.

Ant: Bristol's a pretty open-minded place musically and it is inspiring to see local artists receive attention. I don’t think we're a part of 'the' scene...

Bojak: Not that we don't enjoy the music but there does appear to be a stapled stagnant stigma to the overall ethos, almost regimented/ regime...

Ant: The fact that 3 of us all met through an Improvising Orchestra that welcomes people of all or no ability though is testament to something great about Bristol that you don't get in a lot of other cities. None of us are native to the city; we're one part North West, two parts Midlands and one part Sussex.

(((o))): You’ve just had your new album out.  What can you tell us about that?  How is it a progression from your previous work?

Liam: We went into the studio thinking we'd maybe manage to get down 4 or 5 tracks and ended up with 8, so that was quite a result!  We weren't hell-bent on making an album though. It’s important to record while things are still fresh.  You can definitely leave it too long, and then tracks start to get stale and irrelevant.

Ant: In our earliest days Liam was on drums rather than guitar so the sound was different in that respect as he has a different style to Paul. Some of the songs on the album were in embryonic form even then though. The album is our first recording so it's our initial statement and culmination of the early material. We had to get the songs down as we'd had them for awhile and were already working on a new crop, so the 'progression' is more with the new stuff that isn't on the album. The album was recorded in two days with a day and a half of mixing so we had to try and get the best results within a very short time frame. Ironically it actually sounds more polished than intended!

(((o))): 1984 sci-fi comedy or 2010 sci-fi thriller?

Ant: 1984 film.

Paul: Neither. 'Alien' (1979)

(((o))): What do you think is the most difficult challenge facing new bands starting out in the music industry today?

Ant: The fact that there is more bands than ever before vying for attention with no filtration system means there is a lot of great stuff that falls between the cracks and a lot of the stuff that does get attention nationally seems to be through some kind of nepotism. Also, working full time jobs that some of us hate...

Bojak: It keeps us grounded.

Ant: There's a weird irony in the fact that we are in the era where exposure to all types of music is available so easily with tons of great, mad stuff out there but the actual mainstream of culture has reacted to that by becoming perhaps the blandest it's ever been, with little in the way of interesting stuff managing to 'invade' it like would happen in past decades.

(((o))): Every band has different aims.  What would have to happen for Repo Man to make you feel that you’d “made it”, so to speak?

Ant: Being able to devote the bulk of our time to the band rather than work. Having a fanbase in a few cities would be nice. The point is you can never 'make it' as that would spell complacency

((o))): You’re given the opportunity to create your own All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival.  What would be the first five bands on your list?
Liam: Don Caballero (mid 90s lineup), Fly Pan Am, Philip Jeck, Pete Swanson, Prefuse 73.

Ant: Fugazi, Autechre, Ornette Coleman, Mission of Burma and seeing as every fucker is reforming I'd try for Husker Du though can’t see em going for that

Bojak: Nick Cave, The Fall, Patti Smith, Tori Amos, Leonard Cohen

(((o))): Are there any upcoming bands you’d like us to feature soon?
Liam: H & Uiutna (Zamzamrec), Blackhoods, Stuart Chalmers, Big Naturals, The Cosmic Dead, Falling Stacks

Ant: Happy Crayons, Microdeform, Macero

(((o))): What are the band’s plans for the near future?  Thanks!
Liam: More out-of-town gigs, more releases, hopefully some festivals and touring at some point!

Ant: Gigs n' Records

Paul: More gigs.

Bojak: A giant origami canvas, twenty foot tall.

Your Favorite Enemies formed the best part of a decade ago in Montreal, Canada, but only now is their music spreading across the ocean to Europe and beyond...

((o))): So, first and foremost, who are Your Favourite Enemies and what are your musical backgrounds?

We're six completely different messed up individuals who grew up on the wrong side of the rail track. Music has been the emotional ricochet by which we've been able to survive the social and economic disparity we were facing everyday. 

I guess our collective background explains a bit of our musical background. The Lemelin brothers (Ben on bass and Sef on guitar) have been involved in some pretty hard stuff all of their youth. Ben was wearing t-shirts with impossible to read blood and HEAVY HEAVY band names. As for Sef, well, he was actually more into hair glam rock than heavy, even if he still believes Poison and Cinderella were heavy. So yes… we all have different issues! 

Moose (drums) grew up with Rush and early 90's alternative rock and somehow ended up "studying" drums in university! Jeff grew up in a family environment where music was from the devil So like every kid who grows up in such very healthy and sane environment, he kinda missed a few years due to some undisclosed high time spent listening to non-evil and godly music such as Led Zep, Pink Floyd, Hendrix and The Doors. At least, that's what people told him he was into back in those so-called "frozen" years. 

Miss Isabel (vocals, keys) is the daughter of some obscure preacher and she'd probably win the price for growing up listening to the weirdest and creepiest stuff ever produced. You know, the weird extreme of Jesus loves you and you better love him back or he will stick his holy finger in your eyes kind of lovely environment? 

As for me (Alex, vocals), I grew up listening to old punk, hardcore and... The Cure (my gangster friends never knew about The Cure, but my girlfriends really loved that soft side of my bad boy attitude, it was a real win!)

(((o))): How did the band come together? 

I guess it's fair to say we were a band way before we even tried to create some cohesive noise together. We've been in different bands in the past, but when we got together, it was more about being in a community than putting together a five year plan to become Vampire Weekend or another pink polo type of band. It was more about the mess we were in and the desire we had to get out of that. Music came together along the way. For an historical point of view, let's say Sef and I started the band when we met through social work. Saving the world was really tiring, so when we found out we were both into music, solving the world's problems became a part time hobby. 

It's kinda weird to look back only to realize we didn't have anything in common musically or artistically, but we probably needed each other for deeper reasons than his devotion to Metallica and my desire to get him to understand about the social virtues of the Dead Kennedys and the artistic freedom of Fugazi. We still argue all the time, but at least he knows that a Boss Metal Zone ain't necessarily what heavy means! The rest of it was a happy accident.

(((o))): How has your local scene impacted you as a band?

For some, It's sexy to say you are from Montreal. Especially if you are not originally from Montreal and come to town to join all the other bands playing with mandolin and wearing a brand new Minor Threat or Black Flag t-shirt paid $75 at some hipster shop in order to look cool, indie and hardcore. But I would say that Montreal, for what the city used to be (or still is deep inside), had a tremendous impact on us…   

Montreal for me, is the only place in the world where you were eating or sleeping anywhere in the neighbourhood without an invite. Maybe survival creates some kind of community values, but the openness and generosity of people who don't even have enough for their own is just another kind of community. It wasn't about the color of your skin or the uniform you were wearing, it was about living. 

I guess this is what truly characterizes our band. The sonic collage, the mosaic of emotions, the different flavors of letting go. There are great sounds in Montreal, but the greatest ones aren't played on instruments, they are lived and embodied in the most unexpected places. 

(((o))): You are releasing your debut UK single in October and I believe you have one EP out as well. What can you tell us about those releases?

We're defyingly independent and are doing pretty much everything based on our vision to musically commune with the people. We wanted to turn our releases into moments, not into commercial shots for stardom. Our EP "Youthful Dreams Of An Old Empire" and single "I Just Want You To Know" were moments we recorded in our own studio, a catholic church we bought and turned into a studio. We have the luxury of choosing the degree of let go we are ready to commit to and to embrace.

Ever since we decided to let go, it became somehow interesting and exciting again. We kept ourselves away from the neon lights and decided to go with what was real and honest, rather than trying to "fix" things up. That's why everything we do has the ability to become some epiphanic uplifting moment and why some pure catastrophe of incoherent noises defyingly became our art form of expression for being alive… to "be" and to "assume" what it means as we let go. It's honest and real, it's imperfectly human, it's as soulful as it can be self-deceiving… 

(((o))): What do you think is the most difficult challenge facing new bands starting out in the music industry today?

Relevance comes to mind. I mean, it's been the very same story from the first time someone had a flash and told Elvis to wear a leather suit and pretend to play guitar… ELVIS IS BACK! It's show business… and when you don't understand what it means, well, you're up for quite a bit of disappointment. There's always a cuter face, a cooler pair of shoes to dance in and a brighter new savior of rock n roll emerging somewhere with a "genuine" Bieber type of story. If it's stardom you're after, you should have learned to kick a football, to create apps or to attend music business for dummies, as they are the new rock stars.

Since we weren't cute, didn't have cool dancing shoes and weren't eleven year-olds brilliantly playing bongos on YouTube, we preferred doing our own things and creating our own world. Being true to yourself might not be sexy nowadays but still, you can do whatever you envision based on your own values and measure of involvement. You can curse all you want after the state of the industry. You can secretly envy all the bands who are pushed and supported by big time corporations, but it won't change the nature of the business we are in. There are no equal chances, there are no fair deals, there's no "may the best one win", there are not even communities of artists. Everything is scripted in advance and you don't stand a chance at winning and keeping a straight face. That's why we created our own world. Would we make it, whatever it means? The best of all news is that I already made it, and that everything has yet to be discovered. That's my point of view. DIY is cool to brag about until you realize your van broke in the middle of nowhere and that you won't be able to play in front of the twenty-five people you've been able to drag to your show by begging them. But still, it's the best way to live it if you want to work it out. Otherwise, I've heard there's a whole lot of work for anyone able to repair ukuleles and mandolins nowadays…

(((o))): Every band has different aims. What would have to happen for Your Favourite Enemies to make you feel that you’d “made it”, so to speak?

As I said, I feel like I've made it so I never actually thought about it but since you're asking… winning grammys, having Jay-Z on speed call, having David Bowie wearing a t-shirt of me wearing a t-shirt of him... I'd lose myself in hard drugs for a few years then clean up and cry on Oprah (or any other late afternoon talk shows), get my shit back and headline all the major festivals (you know, those with the same bands playing over and over? yes, all those festivals), I would produce a bio-epic drama movie about myself, then, I would start thinking about falsely killing myself in some relapse episode to add to the drama of my legacy and to promote my new album/book/movie/web series/t-shirt/cat food brand and underwear series called "I HATE PAIN, BUT PAIN LOVES ME". Yes, that would be the starting point… I mean I'd never thought about it before, so these are just a few ideas!

(((o))): My housemates are my favourite enemies because they all have annoying habits, but ultimately I can't quite bring myself to openly dislike them! Who are your favourite enemies and why?

I used to think all that was fake and pre-fabricated was my favorite enemy. It's asier to look at from the other end of the spectrum, I suppose. Now though, I tend to see all my personal paradoxes, my own denied fears and doubts, all the times I hesitated for the wrong reasons, every time I lied to feed my self-created illusions and absurd make-believes. It used to be that faux-punk ethic. You know, when it's cooler to ditch everything successful for the sake of some pure ethos, when in reality it's the most ridiculous incarnation of envy and jealousy… It amuses me now, as I realized that being myself, in all the most imperfect and paradoxical way, remains the most amusing part of life. To assume what it means to "be" remains the most incredible act of defiance you can resolutely live by…

(((o))): You’re given the opportunity to create your own All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival. What would be the first five bands on your list?

Kim Gordon's Body/Head, Thurston Moore's Chelsea Light Moving, Lee Ranaldo & The Dust (featuring Steve Shelley), my new favorite band Savages and… well… Toto (so we can finally have Sef shut up about that freaking band…). It would be called "Let's subtly trick all the Sonic Youth Members into some kind of a reunion by having them all to listen to Toto's music for hours and hours". Guess we won't see that line up at all the other festivals this summer (thank you Toto!!!)

(((o))): What are the band’s plans for the near future?

I will try to finish the interview without having your website hacked by your regulars due to the endless answers and pompous way I answered your questions. (Ed: Don't mention it). Let's just say that a whole lot of things will take place before the official release of our new album "Between Illness And Migration" due out in the UK at the end of February. See, I did quick, a real pro! 

With her eponymous debut album due out in the UK and Europe on 11th November (reviewed here), Torres is busy planning a promotional trip to Europe when I place a transatlantic call on one particularly miserably Glasgow evening. Thankfully she’s got time for a chat in an altogether more pleasant mid-morning in Georgia. Torres, the alter-ego of Nashville native Mackenzie Scott is in good spirits. As well she should be. Just a year ago she was still in college, writing an album and hoping - like countless others - that she would be able to record it.

It’s been quite a year, and one that’s only going to get busier through autumn.

Having briefly visited the UK to play London, Manchester and Latitude in the summer, this tour is a bit more substantial, with eleven dates taking in Germany, Greece, Ireland, Belgium and the UK (including a slot supporting Daughter at Shepherd’s Bush Empire as well as a headline show at the Borderline).

There’s near-permanent eagerness in her voice when she talks - whether that be about travelling to play shows, or how she recorded the album. While the album may take the listener into dark recesses of 22 year-old Torres’ mind, none of that is apparent in her sprightly replies or the sheer enthusiasm she carries when talking about music.

With the album having been released in the US back in January, it’ll interesting for someone having already dealt with the nerve-wracking wait for the response to a debut album to go through it all over again. She laughs when I pose this to her. “I’m interested to see what comes of it, if anything. I have no idea if it will have an impact at all - but I hope the reception is good.”

If the reviews are anything to go by, it will be. On the surface Torres is a folk album, but by using an electric guitar and stripping the production right back, it sounds raw and gives it an edge that just can’t be created with an acoustic. “Everything I wrote for the album was derived from folk finger picking on the acoustic guitar,’ she says. “I played acoustic for years and finger picking was the first natural style I picked up so everything was written on acoustic. All I did was switch over to electric and play the same notes. It translates as something different though.”

Finding that perfect sound came about after her family pitched in to buy her a Gibson 335 for Christmas last year. “I’ve been heading in that direction for a couple of years - when I was playing acoustic I didn’t have a fully formed idea of what I wanted my sound to be.”

Living in Nashville, she says being surrounded by folk musicians gave her the drive to find something different. “I didn’t stand out and that was frustrating for me. I liked the idea of doing something a little different and being a little louder, using that folk formula but having it translate on a more dynamic, attention-grabbing instrument.”

It was in Nashville, while at college, that Torres really found her calling as a musician. After an upbringing that she describes as “doing what kids do, learning the piano, playing in the school band, singing in church,” it wasn’t until high school that she began to play guitar and write. That led her to study music, which meant those late nights spent writing songs were actually helping her gain her degree. “I was constantly writing in college as that was my homework, but it was all I wanted to do so I’d stay up to the wee hours writing songs.”

Lyrically, the album is mature, using metaphors and imagery to reinforce its central themes, so it’s a mark of Torres’ talent that many of the lyrics took shape over her time at college. “They’re very personally lyrics that I wrote over the four years at college. A lot were poems that weren’t turned into songs. Some were class assignments for my songwriting classes.”

Not a bad way to serve your time as an undergraduate – especially when at the end of it all you’ve got enough material to record a debut album, along with your degree.

From graduation it was straight into the studio with producer Ryan McFadden to lay down the tracks that would form the album. Well, I say ‘studio’, but the space the album was recorded in was a little more dramatic than that. “We got a space that really catered to the sound I wanted, a big spacious mansion in Tennessee that’s been around since the civil war. It’s a big haunted space,” she says. “The house is part of the album. It was crucial - I have no way of knowing how it would have sounded otherwise but I feel the space helped create that haunted, ominous sound I was going for. I think I made the right call.”

Haunting and ominous are adjectives that fit the album well. Covering tales of broken relationships, heartbreak and suicide, it’s a dark and powerful record, the raw sound created helping shape that atmosphere. Torres says she used Brandi Carlile’s folk-rock album The Story as a reference point. “Ryan and I talked a lot in pre-production before going into the studio about the direction I wanted the album to take. I brought The Story in the first time we met up. I wanted my album to evoke the same feelings that her album did whenever it was played. He was really good at interpreting that.”

Torres says that the church played a big part in her upbringing, and as well as being the first place she sang, it was also her first musical influence. “All of the music I write is inspired by my upbringing, by hymns. I love Johnny Cash. He’s one of my biggest influences. That was how he wrote; it was from dark human experiences but it was almost like he was writing hymns.”

It’s unsurprising to find Torres’ influences covering some of the greats of both country and alt-country over the last fifty years, and she comes alive when name checking them: “St Vincent was the only thing I listened to during the recording. Beyond that, Ryan Adams is a huge influence. I got into him in college, I’m obsessed. He’s a prolific genius. I love Sufjan Stevens, The National - though I was late to the game on them, they came after the album was recorded. A lot of old school rock too; I was obsessed with Joan Jett for so long, and Fleetwood Mac.” She laughs: “There are a lot of influences in there.”

One major new influence on her is New York City. Having released the album in the States in January, Torres upped sticks and left Nashville behind in August, though a busy touring schedule has kept her on the road for much of 2013. “New York’s kind of been my dream home since I was 13-14,” she says. I had my sights set on it for years. I promised my family I would graduate from college so I did that and fulfilled that part of my responsibility and immediately hit the ground running with music. My life plan, not that one can really make a life plan, was to move to New York and work in music, so it’s worked out so far.”

Again, a bashful modesty comes through. It’s going to be a while before Mackenzie can sit down and fully take in what Torres has become. “I have a job now; it’s the job I’ve always wanted. I get to do a lot of travelling and I love that. This time last year I was in college in Nashville, Life isn’t like that any more, but day to day activities like hanging out with friends and drinking coffee; none of that is different.”

It’s refreshing to hear someone talk in such grounded terms about their success. “I’m really grateful for the support I’ve received so far,” she says. “It was really unexpected.”

And for anyone who’s heard the album, that reception is likely to get a little louder on the forthcoming European tour. As well as playing dates in new cities and seeing another part of the world, Torres is planning to spread her wings in other areas too. 

“I’m looking forward to trying all kinds of whisky,” she says. “I’d like someone to recommend something to me in every city I visit - Scotch, bourbon. I’m also keen to possibly try absinthe while I’m there. Everyone says “don’t do it”, but I’m curious. Maybe that will need to be an off night though.”

There’s another burst of laughter before our conversation draws to an end. So, if you’re planning on seeing Torres while she’s touring, make sure you recommend a drink if you see her at the bar afterwards. She’s got a lot to celebrate. 

LIVE DATES:

02-Nov               Holland      Amsterdam,  London Calling @ Paradiso

04-Nov               Belgium     Gent,  Café Video

05-Nov               Germany    Hamburg, Knust

06-Nov               Germany    Berlin, Lido

08-Nov               Germany    Munich, Hansa 39

09-Nov               Germany    Frankfurt, Zoom

10-Nov               Germany    Cologne, Gebaude 9

13-Nov               UK             London, Borderline

14-Nov               UK             Brighton, Green Door Store

16-Nov               Greece        Athens, Six D.O.G.S

18-Nov               Ireland       Dublin, Sugar Club

Canadian label Profound Lore has released some of the best underground extreme metal of the last decade, from Altar of Plagues to Cobalt, from Portal to Wold. Sander van den Driesche spoke to him about the label's past and future...

(((o))): Can you give us a brief history of Profound Lore Records?

The label started out in the summer of 2004 just as a hobby (with several former partners) where we released limited edition vinyl.  I went back to school to do post-grad work in the hopes of finding a real job and/or career since I didn’t have much else going for me at the time, while I would do the label as a side hobby thing just so I can keep my life somewhat interesting.  After finishing post-grad, during the two brutal years following nothing was materializing career wise, while at the same time the label was slowly starting to grow and I would put more energy (and money) into it as a result. Eventually it just became this thing that naturally made itself into something. There was no real initial plan to make it as notable as it has become.  So I’ve just kept going with it all these years, doing my best to keep it at a consistent level.

(((o))): How many people are involved in the day to day running of the label?

With the exception of some outside help when it’s needed (i.e. graphics guy, webmaster, and, occasionally but rarely, when I hire a publicist) it’s pretty much just me running the vessel on my own doing pretty much everything.

(((o))): What is Profound Lore Records’ main musical focus?

It’s pretty much music rooted in metal for the most part, but focusing on the darker and more artistic, eclectic, and edgy aspects of the genre.  Within every genre of metal, whether it would be death, black, doom, or traditional, I pretty much like to release bands that encompass my favourite aspects of each sub-genre within metal.

(((o))): How do you find the bands you release? Are you doing your own research or are most releases coming from demos sent to the label?

Most of the bands I work with now are either comprised of people I already know or acquainted with. If there is a new band I’m interested in, it’s either comprised of musicians I know of from other bands or referred to me from friends of theirs who I know personally and have (maybe) dealt with in other bands before.

(((o))): Do you focus mainly on North American artists/bands or can they be from anywhere in the world?

I guess I do focus mainly on North American bands, largely because I’m definitely more involved and entrenched in the scene over here and it’s mostly where my network of close contacts and friends hail from.  So in that sense it makes it easier and that this is where my market is based.  Of course though, if there is a band from outside of North America (I have enjoyed releasing records by bands from the UK and Australia, for example) that I want to really work with I’ll definitely pursue the possibilities of what can materialize.  Sometimes though I would say that the needs of a North American band can be quite different than the needs and demands of, for instance, a European band; I guess that’s because there’s a different mentality, attitude, and way of thinking involved.

(((o))): What relationship do you have with your bands/artists? Are you good friends with most of your bands before you sign them/release their records? 

Even though I have a different relationship with every band, since all the musicians I work with have their own unique personalities, it is very important for me to have that friendship implemented, in a way where I would also want to hang out with the people in the bands I work with. Of course some relationships with some of the musicians I work with are on a different level to some of the others but that’s what makes it interesting. I’m dealing with these unique individuals whose personalities often reflect in the music they create.

(((o))): What is/are your proudest moment(s) with Profound Lore Records so far? 

I’d say that it’s been pretty much just maintaining consistency with the label, and managing to do this currently for a living, especially in the landscape of the music industry today.

(((o))): What would say was the hardest release you have put out, be it due to delays or financial issues?

Probably the new upcoming Avichi album, Catharsis Absolute, which has been the most bizarre experience for me with any release I’ve ever done. It was initially supposed to be released early summer but since then I’ve pushed the release date back at least five times and I currently don’t have a solidified release date until sole mastermind Andrew Markuszewski (aka. Aamonael) is 110% satisfied with the final mix and master. He’s been extremely obsessive over this. In fact, it's been fascinating watching him and hearing him out through this process but at the same time it has been an insanely frustrating process because of the obstacles (out of his control) that seem to be coming out of nowhere and just continuing to get in the way of getting the album he wants to present. I think there must be this curse hanging over it, that there must be some sort of outside force that doesn’t want this album to happen, one that has put this black cloud over it! Of course I have to believe it will be for the better since I truly believe the record is a modern day black metal masterpiece and that all these mixes I have listened to over time clearly show this album as a work of black metal artistry. I cannot wait for people to finally hear this and to get this album out. I suppose also that the story behind the completion of this album makes the whole thing more interesting.

(((o))): For anybody unknown with your releases, which 5 should they start with before diving into the rest of the catalogue?

Really hard to say and narrow it down to 5 releases but I guess I’d say:

Asunder – Works Will Come Undone

Cobalt – Eater of Birds

Portal – Seepia

Grave Miasma – Odori Sepulcrorum

Agalloch – Marrow of the Spirit

(((o))): Would you ever consider a compilation release to highlight your artists and releases?

If I did do some sort of compilation it would have to be something unique and different I guess.  I know I would want to have a certain theme behind the compilation and I would want all tracks to be exclusive.

(((o))): How was your trip to Maryland Deathfest with Cobalt? It was only their second time performing, correct?

Technically it was Cobalt’s third time playing live, but I would like to say it was their official first live show at MDF, since their two previous shows were in a friend’s garage years ago in Colorado amongst a gathering of local friends and maniacs.  When Cobalt played MDF and their handful of live dates that followed, vocalist Phillip McSorley essentially waged war on everything and everyone; total annihilation!

(((o))): If you were to have your Profound Lore Festival, which bands would you have on the main stage?

I was actually thinking about this the other day, but it would be so hard to narrow it down to just a few bands and, of course, it would have to depend on the budget I would have at my disposal, to at least put something together realistically in order for it to work in a financial sense. I guess the first thing would have to be where to actually have it. Then how many days should it be (no more than a two day fest)? How many bands per day because I would only want to have one stage? I know I wouldn’t want to have too many bands on one day because people would get burnt out if a show went on for way too long with too many bands... etc, etc. That’s why it would be hard to narrow it down to just a select few bands per day.

(((o))): What can we expect from Profound Lore Records in 2014?

It should be a pretty productive and big year with some key priority releases. So it should be interesting definitely! My bank just the other week reminded me that the label bank account was opened in 2004, so I guess that 2014 will (technically) mark the ten year anniversary of the label.  Who would have thought it?!