Quiet,
like mist creeping through the trees, VIRCOLAC appeared on the scene. Yet
restless and full of rage the band showed its hunger through a couple of
wonderful releases. The latest, "The Cursed Travails of The Demeter"
released last year. We talked about this
release and the travelled path so far with Jamie (guitars), Brendan (guitars)
and Darragh (Vocals). Listen
to them, from the cold distance…they´re howling…
Please tell us about the band and its
formation? How were the early days and how was the vibe of the first
rehearsals.
J:
I think Darragh explains the initial formation a little bit further down here
as part of another answer so I won’t rehash it (I’m giving my answers after him
here). In terms of the early days and the “vibe”, I distinctly remember the
rehearsal where I played the band “The Worm Turns” for the first time as sort
of the moment where the deal was sealed, so to speak. Our first rehearsal or
two had been based around learning and playing “Confessio” which Purcell and I
had worked on in our previous attempt, but that was the first moment where I
brought something new in specific to us, knowing that it was perhaps a little
more unusual musically, and it was very much a moment where had that song not
gone down well with the others I don’t think we’d have continued. But
there was, as clichéd as is it sounds, a real sense of something magical the
first time we played that song from start to finish, a moment where we all
realized this could be something special. The whole first year of the band was
pretty much spent rehearsing in private, not really letting people outside the
four of us know what we were doing, throwing ideas around and forging a vision
of what we wanted to do musically, lyrically, aesthetically .. it was an
exciting time, that first wellspring of creativity bursting through. The fact
we were sitting on this whole thing under people’s noses waiting to make it
public I think may have added to the excitement for us too as the only
expectations we had to meet were our own. There was no pressure on us
externally and we were free to just develop things at our own pace which was
crucial. It felt like being in a fucking gang, basically.
How was the process of defining the sound and
style of the band?
J:
I think there was an initial specific musical feel I had in mind more than a
definite sound, and that set the wheels in motion for the other aspects to be
refined over time. There was a lot of talking involved, a lot of analyzing
where we were going with the music. I don't think we have formally defined it.
We just know what is and isn't Vircolac. The band and everything we do is an
extension of our personalities so we just follow our own interests really. We
have pretty wide goalposts, but the rule is that it has to have that eeriness
and dread throughout.
Was there any musical influence of any
particular band that guided you or was a more natural and “free” process?
J: There were plenty of bands, yes, largely the Peaceville and Finnish/Norwegian
stuff (Sentenced, Thou Shalt Suffer), the usual American lot (MA, Autopsy,
Immolation) and Swedish ones (Carnage,
Grotesque, Afllicted) then bands like Decomposed (UK), Ceremonium, Disembowelment..bands
who had an element of feeling hidden under the violence. The feeling I wanted
to capture when I started writing at home was that of the era in the early 90s
where death metal had a real otherwordly feel, a cold, eerie feel even at it's
fastest moments. The one album that I will admit was the kind of “guidebook”
for me of what I wanted to do was “Soulside Journey” era Darkthrone and maybe
right behind that are “As The Flower Withers” by My Dying Bride and “With Fear
I Kiss the Burning Darkness” by At the Gates – that sort of icy, nocturnal
character to the music but with this shifting feeling throughout. We wanted it
to be articulate. We were never going to be a super-brutal blast beats and
grunting affair.
But
I think there were also so any other elements that naturally found their way
in, both metal (you'd have to be deaf not to hear the Voivod and early
Metallica influence) and non-metal. The latter I think was something we
actually tried to avoid really but I don't know. We all like bands like the
Cure, Swans, Fields of the Nephilim, Portishead, film soundtracks, experimental
stuff, ambience, prog and hardcore/punk so even when we try to remain pure
these things just seep through into the music. We stopped fighting it and
realised quickly creating music that was a genuine reflection of who we are
will always have other elements.
D: Originally, Jamie would have ideas, riffs and some song structures in place
and he would bring them in and we’d all chime in with our thoughts, ideas and
notions. Now, with Brendan on board, him and Jamie trade riffs and ideas and
kind of work on them before bringing them to the rest of us where we’ll still
throw our ideas in the pot. The lads write the music but it’s fair to say
everyone gets a say when it comes to throwing ideas into the mix for song
structures, patterns etc.
J: A lot of the basic work of writing riffs and
piecing things together would be done by me at home, yeah. Before Brendan
joined a lot of times the basic structural work would be hashed out by myself
and Colin based on my initial arrangements, and there were plenty of nights
between “Codex” and Brendan joining where for whatever reason it would just be
the two of us hammering out ideas together alone. He’d work on rhythmic
patterns, which in turn would sometimes spark other ideas or changes to my
initial idea.. But the collaborative element was again highly important – the
slow section at the end of “Confessio” was largely Karen’s idea for example, as
she just came out with that bass riff after we’d jammed it through one night
and we expanded on it. There’s little bass details she would add that I never
would have thought of, and which really gave the whole thing that extra push
sometimes.
On the “Demeter” ep the process was slow, painfully
slow at times. I had ideas, but I had a strange writer’s block when it came to
finding a way to develop them into full songs. We’d written “Charonic Voyage”
and the title track before Brendan joined, then “Lascivious” and “Betwixt”
resulted in the initial exchange of riffs between he and I. Brendan is a very
prolific writer, and regularly has a backlog of ideas. I take perhaps a slower
and more considered approach to the stuff I write, as I’m quite hard on myself
I think, and I’ll sometimes take months overthinking a song before settling on
a final version. We balance each other out and a lot of the riff ideas we’d
passed each other seemed to compliment each other so Brendan and I have formed
a very natural partnership based on two contrasting styles over time.
Things will happen in the rehearsal room spur of the
moment when we start playing though, and people start adding melodies or come
up with a rhythmic idea, so it’s an evolving process. It’s very much a
democracy and we talk a lot about each song’s direction and flow with the whole
band there .. but I suppose I feel a lot of times like the person whose role is
to edit and direct the music, if that makes sense? I’m the quality control
department, haha!
What about the concept around the band, its name
and the lyrical inspiration
D: The concept is, fundamentally, to play DEATH METAL. That is the aim, idea
and focus. We don’t have a philosophical or ideological basis upon which we’re
founded. I find so much of that kind of thing redundant, irrelevant and puerile
anyway. The lyrics generally tell tales, which are rooted in lore, history and
allegories conceptually. Confessio, for example, is based on St Patrick’s
writing of the same name and reflects on the slow conversion of Ireland into
the faith. It can also be construed as an admonishing of monotheistic faith,
doctrine and structure as one of falsehood. The Cursed Travails of the Demeter
tells the fictional story of the Count’s departure from Varna to Whitby and the
arrival of death. Allegorically speaking, one could think of the coffin ships
sailing from Ireland to the US or even the arrival of the Conquistadors in
South American bringing death and disease. The lyrics tell tales of life and
death and our innate human quest for understanding the world around us through
the prism of the inevitability of our own demise.
D: Vircolac was actually the second time Jamie and our drummer Colin got
together to work on music, the first time being abandoned simply because, for
whatever reason, it didn’t work. When we got together this time, Jamie already
had music and ideas lying around so we set ourselves a deadline as we were to
play our first show at the Redemption fest in Dublin in November 2014 and that
focused our minds resulting in the Codex demo being recorded in September 2014.
It all came together quite easily…even if by May or June 2014 we had Confessio
done and The Worm Turns half done, we were pretty confident going into record
it all that September as the material came together well.
For me, the demo is exactly what it is: a demo. I’m very happy and proud of it, I wouldn’t change a thing about it but it is a demo. A demonstration of what it is we are trying to do. It’s imperfect, which is what this kind of music should be to my mind. It’s a great starting point for us as a band, I think.
For me, the demo is exactly what it is: a demo. I’m very happy and proud of it, I wouldn’t change a thing about it but it is a demo. A demonstration of what it is we are trying to do. It’s imperfect, which is what this kind of music should be to my mind. It’s a great starting point for us as a band, I think.
One element of the release that has been consistently lauded is the artwork
associated with it. How is it related to the music and how should one integrate
the two?
J: D’yknow what? I’d prefer now to leave that
entirely in the eye of the beholder. I’d rather everyone draw their own
interpretation, as it’s a surreal image that I really don’t want to see bound
down to one possible reading of it. That’s part of the reason we went with
Stephen (Wilson)’s piece. It sums up something in an image we can’t quite put
into words but that says something specific to each of us.
In the time that passed between "Codex Perfida” and ‘The Cursed…’, you
brought in new guitarist . How did he become a member of the band and
what made him the right choice?
J:
He'd have been in the band at the start if he hadn't
been fucking living in England when we formed. As soon as he moved back to
Ireland we approached him as I was working on stuff that I realised really
needed two guitarists. Darragh and Colin knew him a little and had suggested
him when he moved back,but Karen and I didn't know him at all. We all met up in
a bar to discuss things, and immediately hit it off..and then he showed up for
first rehearsal knowing the songs better than we did. His sense of humor,
musical taste, and the fact that he's a killer guitarist all lead to him
fitting naturally within the band and honestly it's like he's always been a
member.
BMC: I actually bought Codex off Dar while living in the
UK. I knew him from our regular chats when I would visit Into The Void record
store every week and of course at gigs. Before I had plans to move to the UK I
was speaking to Colin about starting a band. So I was naturally curious what
the demo was going to be like. I loved it and texted the guys to let them know.
So once they contacted me to join I was very happy to accept. It was a band
that excited me, as you can hear from the demo an interesting path was going to
be taken. I think the reason it works well is because I have no interest in
being in a bog standard band simply paying tribute to the bands of the late
eighties/early nineties. An element of that in the music is fine but there
needs to be a thirst for adventure.
“The Cursed Travails of The Demeter” is your
latest and impressive release, how was the recording process this time… What did you do differently from the demo and
the EP tracks?
D: The recording process this time out was not nearly as enjoyable as the demo recording. There was a lot of stress, tension and pressure in the studio but none of that bothers me really as the result, to me, is fucking great. Obviously, looking back, you can always think of a few things that could be done differently but I fucking love that EP to death and I still listen to it regularly. I’m extremely fucking proud of it because it was something born of pain and when I listen back to it, I’m very pleased with the result.
J: What we
did differently this time in the studio was lose our tempers and patience with
each other. Apart from the morning Ola let me run riot on some synthesizers
without these other four shitehawks there to ruin my fun, I hated every fucking second of the recording
process this time. Our Swedish friend did his best to encourage my inner
Vangelis, and that contributed a lot to how the song “Lascivious Cruelty”
turned out (I got to play piano/keyboard
parts on both that and “Confessio” from the demo which is hilarious given that
I can’t actually play the piano at all). But yeah, there was a strange vibe
this time around that I’d rather not revisit, and a few of us were going
through difficult times personally through both the writing and recording of
the ep which made it a tough process throughout. I don’t think I’ve actually
told the others this, but I remember sitting down and composing a message to
the rest of the band the day after we finished telling them I was going to
quit. I’m glad I didn’t send that in retrospect.. Very pleased with it now though. Besides my
guitar tone which I wish I’d taken more time on.D: The recording process this time out was not nearly as enjoyable as the demo recording. There was a lot of stress, tension and pressure in the studio but none of that bothers me really as the result, to me, is fucking great. Obviously, looking back, you can always think of a few things that could be done differently but I fucking love that EP to death and I still listen to it regularly. I’m extremely fucking proud of it because it was something born of pain and when I listen back to it, I’m very pleased with the result.
BMC: I
absolutely loved being in the studio.
The reason could partially be because it was my
first time in a studio for a proper release. It is such a pleasure to commit
everything you have written to an eternal form.
Now, there were definitely moments of tension and
stress and tiredness but I just took
that to mean that we were taking it seriously. I
seem to have taken on the role of "laid back guy" which helps diffuse
a lot of situations but also makes me an observer at times as I have no
interest in adding to tensions that are close to breaking point.
I enjoyed pretty much every aspect of the process.
Ola pushing us to always do that next take even though we were ready to
collapse, the relatively early mornings and late nights of hard work and
watching everyone flex their creative muscles.
It was hard work without a doubt, but it should be.
Where did you get the idea for the cover artwork? What
was your role in generating the art?
D: We had long talked about using an artist for the cover of Demeter but as I
have been bringing bands and visitors into the crypts at St Michan’s Church in
Dublin for years, I saw an image someone had taken a photo of similar to the
one used on the EP cover and it struck me that it was what I was looking for.
When I got into the meaning and concept behind the EP, it made even more sense
to run with.
Bram Stoker, who provided ample influence in the title of the EP visited the crypt many times and lore has it that the mummies in the crypt may have provided some influence on him for his writing. Added to that, his mother’s side of the family had a crypt in the church so conceptually, bringing all of this to bear on the EP seemed the right thing to do. Paying homage to a literary giant as well as using specifically Irish imagery that had never been used before. It felt like the I was creating a specifically unique tribute so all the imagery on the EP is from the crypt. The cover, front and back, the mummies on the inside and in the CD version, the hall, all worked perfectly with the feel and theme of the EP.
The artwork was all my idea but the photography was done by our drummer’s better half, Lea, and the layout was expertly executed by Adam from Sheol. They both brought my vision to life so without them, it would not have been possible.
Bram Stoker, who provided ample influence in the title of the EP visited the crypt many times and lore has it that the mummies in the crypt may have provided some influence on him for his writing. Added to that, his mother’s side of the family had a crypt in the church so conceptually, bringing all of this to bear on the EP seemed the right thing to do. Paying homage to a literary giant as well as using specifically Irish imagery that had never been used before. It felt like the I was creating a specifically unique tribute so all the imagery on the EP is from the crypt. The cover, front and back, the mummies on the inside and in the CD version, the hall, all worked perfectly with the feel and theme of the EP.
The artwork was all my idea but the photography was done by our drummer’s better half, Lea, and the layout was expertly executed by Adam from Sheol. They both brought my vision to life so without them, it would not have been possible.
D: That was, I think, about maybe 60-70% completed musically when we went into
the studio and in the days before recording the EP, I was frantically listening
to rehearsal recordings of it making my lyrics work to the tune. I have to say,
that for me personally, this song is one of the best we could have ever
created.
Lyrically, it is a paean to everlasting allure of women as told through the eye of someone witnessing a witches Sabbath in medieval times. To the devil a son on earth is due! Bathe in sin as a fine gentleman once said.
Lyrically, it is a paean to everlasting allure of women as told through the eye of someone witnessing a witches Sabbath in medieval times. To the devil a son on earth is due! Bathe in sin as a fine gentleman once said.
BMC: Jamie initially had the idea for the song as in how
he wanted it to feel.
So
based on that we worked on riffs and structure that could deliver the feel and
atmosphere we wanted. After we had accumulated the material it was a matter of
arranging everything in writing rehearsals. It was the most unusual one to
write as there are moments of restraint exercised by each member of the band to
create an eerie dynamic. When we put everything together with Colin's odd drum
patterns and Karen's bass sound it really started making sense. The end section
is a call back to the over arching theme of the Demeter. A rotting ship of
death creaking over turbulent waves. The riff adds a sea swell kind of feel and
the dissonant noise on top adds the element of horror.
It
was quite unsettling listening to the noise section on its own after Jamie
recorded it.
J:
I think there’s a video of this but at one point in the closing section, I had
my guitar on it’s back in the control
room with chains through the strings and I was hitting it with a drumstick
while manipulating feedback with various guitar pedals. Brendan looked
completely baffled when he walked into the room to find me assaulting my
guitar. It’s equal parts Necromantia and Einsturzende Neubauten, haha.
How important is the work of Bram Stoker, as for
the title of the album and the lyrics of that song?
D: Thematically, we like to create a certain ‘feel’ or ‘mood’ throughout some
of the songs, which can be related to old horror or old folk horror tales.
Edgar Allen Poe, Stoker, that kind of thing so for me, personally, Stoker has
loomed very large in my life since I was about 16 when I saw Coppola’s Dracula
and it completely obsessed me. Of course, I worked my way back to Herzog’s
Nosferatu and of course the original in the cinematic genre, Murnau’s
masterpiece from 1922 and even Bela Lugosi’s suave Count. Then there are the
myriad offshoots of the vampire and Dracula concept and you have black metal
bands in the early to mid 90s expounding upon the vampire concept, which was
also a big influence on me. With Demeter, I wanted to pay homage to a cultural
icon but also use an element of his story to tell my own story.
What things do you find appealing about
vampirism? Besides Bram Stoker opus that inspired Dracula´s movies and
F.F Coppola in particular, are you into horror movies? Which ones are among
your favorites?
D: Jamie is the horror buff in the wolf clan so I’ll let him expand on that
properly as my interest in horror films and the genre as a whole is limited
according to my own tastes. To me, vampirism is allegorical in and of itself.
The story of a deathless inhuman cast aside by all that is holy in pursuit of
the living because he is dead inside is in itself a wonderful allegory so that
appeals to me. We can apply it in stark terms to those around us we experience
on a daily basis. If you work a job with a boss who’s a fucking asshole and he
sucks your energy from you, it’s the same thing, isn’t it? Good old Anton La
Vey called it ‘psychic vampirism’. Underneath the immediately obvious death
curse that is the Count’s existence is a pursuit of life and a desire to be
alive as this quote bears testament to: "To die, to be really dead, that
must be glorious. There are far worse things awaiting man than death.”
Horror flicks I personally love are the Masque of the Red Death, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Wicker Man, Salem’s Lot and The Exorcist.
Horror flicks I personally love are the Masque of the Red Death, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Wicker Man, Salem’s Lot and The Exorcist.
J:
My tastes in horror are a little more modern and surreal than Darragh's though
all the ones he lists aboves are shared favourites for sure. I grew up with
those old Hammer and Amicus films on TV and in my early teens started to
explore the “Video Nasties”, but nowadays I think my tastes are a little more
abstract perhaps. More recently I find the less obvious likes of the tv series
Jordskott and The Passenger, or films like Martyrs or Trouble Every Day as this
I think is the real voice of horror in the world we live in now – a slightly
more angular, less obvious take instead of ghost stories and monsters.
Suspiria, The Beyond and the first two Hellraisers are the important ones for
me I suppose, films that really elevated the form for me when I saw them as a
teenager, and that surreal beauty colliding with abject dread and darkness is
as inspiring to me know as when I saw them both first. David Lynch was a
revelation to me, and later Jorge Buttgreit’s “Der Todesking” and the utter
nihilism of the likes of Jim Van Bebber, Elias Merhige and Richard Kern really expanded the idea for
me of what constitutes a horror film. For current fare, I'd urge anyone who
hasn't seen The Witch yet to see that. An amazing modern view of a timeless
myth and there's a reason it's so well known. Baskin is worth a look too.
Definite Hellraiser vibes to that one. I rewatched The Neon Demon recently,
which is clumsy and a little tedious but is an interesting take on the
Elizabeth Bathory idea to me.
I
have zero time for modern Hollywood “Franchise Horror”. Fuck off Bloomhouse
forever.
The vinyl version of “The Cursed… has been recently released through Sepulchral Voice, what can you tell us
about this vinyl version, are you a vinyl collector?
D: I’m not a vinyl collector, no. I buy vinyl, sure and have a sizeable enough
record collection, I suppose but I’ve never been interested in having something
cos it’s the first press or whatever. That’s asinine to me in many ways. It devalues
the music when all you see are people discussing a piece of fucking plastic.
Personally, having released numerous albums on vinyl myself, it’s nice to
actually be on one for a change, ha!
Do you think that today is less important when
defining the style in terms of black metal or death metal? In other times when
the aesthetics and the copse paint were very important for some bands to settle
in a certain scenario, nowadays perhaps there is more duality in that aspect
and I personally believe that the music of Vircolac can satisfy the lovers of
the dark music in general. Do you think Vircolac music is closer to one style
than another? If you had to imagine, what place do you think Vircolac would
occupy within the musical scene in...1992?
D: We are a DEATH METAL band. Of course, I can see the overlapping of black
metal stylistically and sonically and we can occupy the grey area between both
black and death metal to varying degrees but I know what side of the fence the
band is on in terms of our approach. Black Metal in the late 80s/early 90s
‘fit’ the era as we largely still lived in societies with a heavy Christian
emphasis sociologically. So, the ‘satanic revolt’ that emerged as a result of
black metal fit the era succinctly. That whole revolt is now an irrelevance,
however and it doesn’t ‘fit’ in today’s narrative at all. This is perhaps why
there are many bands of a black metal nature pursuing some kind of spiritual
quest with their music. If it was 1992, I think we’d have been perfectly at home
on Peaceville alongside Paradise Lost, Anathema, Autopsy, At The Gates and
Darkthrone.
D: The most positive aspect of the ‘scene’ is that now we have a bunch of bands
on the international stage making their own impact, carving their own niche and
attracting their own interest. Domestically, interest in what we do is at an
all-time low but that’s how it goes and I’ve no desire to try lead people to us
if they’ve no interest in coming.
BMC: There are bands in Ireland at the minute that could
easily fit on the world stage.
Malthusian,
Coscradh, Unyielding Love, ZOM, Apostate Viaticum, Dread Sovereign and Slidhr
just to name a few. All completely unique and enjoyable in their own way.
Something is happening here.
J:
Naddred deserve a mention as a band to look out for this year. Their first show
was excellent and their demo is powerful stuff. The doomier sound of Cork band
Soothsayer, Dublin’s Venus Sleeps and Belfast’s Slomatics are favourites for me
too.
How many live rituals have you performed so far? What has been the best
show you have ever done?
D: I have to be honest, I despise the term ‘live ritual’ – we play fucking
shows! We perform live! We’re up there like Metallica in 86 or Slayer in 86
furiously thrashing with our faces in yours, no fucking masks, face paint,
robes, capes or super hero outfits. Just metal to the bone.
BMC: My favourite is definitely a
show we did at the Dark Arts festival in Galway last year. We took the stage
while the crowd were still able to function after hours of booze. We were
waiting a while to go onstage so we were eager to get going. From the first
song to the last the entire room was going completely nuts....including us.
Drinks spilling, glasses crashing, dodging mic stands, symbols, people and
guitar necks. The energy was blinding! It was a balls out metal show!
What´s the strangest place and the most
shocking one that you´ve been?
D: We’ve not been anywhere strange yet but I do hope we get to play in the middle of Transylvania sometime, owing to our band name’s origin and all that.
D: We’ve not been anywhere strange yet but I do hope we get to play in the middle of Transylvania sometime, owing to our band name’s origin and all that.
What can we expect in the future from VIRCOLAC? What are your plans for this
year? Are you already working on your debut full-length?
D: True to the band’s name, we are undergoing somewhat of a transformation again currently and our breed is once again mutating. The wolves are constantly on the move, which is a good thing. So far we have some shows lined up for April, including North of the Wall festival in Glasgow, the Siege of Limerick in Limerick and a local Dublin show at the end of April as well. After that, nothing is certain but there are some plans for the later part of 2016 that we’re working on also. Work has commenced on writing material for a full length so we’ll come to that in time. We’re in no hurry though so we’ll see what happens…
D: True to the band’s name, we are undergoing somewhat of a transformation again currently and our breed is once again mutating. The wolves are constantly on the move, which is a good thing. So far we have some shows lined up for April, including North of the Wall festival in Glasgow, the Siege of Limerick in Limerick and a local Dublin show at the end of April as well. After that, nothing is certain but there are some plans for the later part of 2016 that we’re working on also. Work has commenced on writing material for a full length so we’ll come to that in time. We’re in no hurry though so we’ll see what happens…
BMC: We
have a ton of new ideas for a full length so we will be busy with writing in
the coming months. Myself and Jamie have been communicating quite regularly
with new riffs and song ideas. But like Dar said we are not going to rush and
risk a loss of quality.
The last words are yours, and thanks for the interview!
No comments:
Post a Comment