SPECTRAL
VOICE´s debut full-lenght “Eroded Corridors Of Unbeing” was one of the best
albums released last year, an apparition of atmospheric, yet brutal, ghostly, haunting
death-doom. I inquire more about the
band´s artistic dark aura on this interview answered by E. Wendler...through
the lurking gloom...
If I´m not wrong the band was
formed by Paul and Eli and worked as duo for a long time, how exactly was the
beginning of the band?
Paul
and I started the band as a two piece because we couldn’t find a lineup that
understood where we were coming from. The beginning moved quite slow as a
result, but we decided to record the demo as a two piece and worry about a full
lineup later. Pretty shortly after we recruited Morris and Jeff and its been
solid ever since.
With this line up you recorded the
demo "Necrotic Doom", was it easy from the beginning to get the right sound and
style that you both had in mind? What do you think now about the demo?
We
were (are) both on the same page as far as which currents of death metal we
wanted to tap into. (Early Finnish scene, Winter, dISEMBOWELMENT, etc) At the
time, no-one we knew in Denver cared about this type of music so the output
became very concise and meticulous since our vision was so natural and
intentional. I still love to play the demo songs, and I think in the future,
our sound will be a synthesis of these primitive approaches in the demo, with
the more expansive songwriting of the full length.
Did you talked about specific
influences to “build” Spectral Voice? Ie bands, albums, vocalists… Please name
some of your favorite albums and how did they affect you to start playing this
type music?
Demigod,
Thergothon, Symphony of Grief, Rottrevore, Sentenced, Abhorrence, Carcass, and
plenty more all play an active part in what keeps death metal so captivating to
us. For me ‘Slumber of Sullen Eyes’ is my favorite death metal album, but the
demos and early EPs of the Scandinavian bands are brimming with the essence and
energy that attracted both of us to the genre in the first place. Those are the
relics that made me inspired to contribute to the tradition of PURE death
metal!
After the release of necrotic you
released two splits, one with Blood Incantation and one with Phrenelith, adding
new members to the line-up, did they shared the same visions as you about the
music?
The
song on the split with BI was actually the first song we ever wrote, so the
band was still a duo at the time. On that recording, the vocals were handled by
CH who was the original live vocalist (he is on the BI split and did our first
tour with us), which was the introduction of new members joining. By the time
we recorded “PeeledVeins” for the split with Phrenelith we had a concrete
lineup (the current one). I don’t completely remember but I think that was the
first song that was written with input from all 4 members.
Jeff
and Morris both share our love for classic death metal but both come with their
own influences, which helps us expand the core of the sound. The songwriting
process has transitioned more to a group process, but the filters and essence
of the approach are still very much the same.
What are your thoughts on the
splits and now looking back? Are they still available? What´s your
opinion about Blood Incantation and Phrenelith?
Neither
split is currently available but we are working on reissues on some format or
another for both. I still love both of those records. The Phrenelith session
was our first time in a “real studio” and I think the production of it came out
a little too high, but other than that, very proud of both of those release.
Also extremely proud to share a record with both of those bands. Phrenelith and
SV started around the same time, and since we have been friends since before
that, it felt like a very special placeholder in the history of both bands and
friendships. Blood Incantation share members with us, and its safe to say the
brotherhood is very strong between both bands. We support each others endeavors
and both bands are able to push the other band a little further.
Last year you release your debut
great debut full length, and I say great because really love the album, you
managed to create a unique atmosphere on the album, and the response has been
very good; Eroded was included in a lot of “best of the year” lists. What do
you think about the result of the album? Were you expecting that your album
would be received in such a great way by the underground?
So
far the response has been surprising and humbling. I hardly ever read reviews,
but the ones that get passed my way are cool to see. Its very nice to hear such
praise of our artistic output.
Would you like to highlight
something about the recording or composition process? Something you feel very
satisfied with…
The
time leading up to the recording was extremely intense and stressful. We were
rehearsing 4-5 times a week, as much as possible. Once we entered the studio,
we were able to transform the room into an atmosphere conducive to katabatic
reflection. We were present during the entire mixing process and I would say
thats the part I am most satisfied with. To me the album has an encapsulating
effect, which the production guides the listener along a journey into
themselves.
People referred to your style as
doom-death, death-doom, or simply doom metal, do you give much importance to
labeling your music?
Not
so much, we view our band as playing DEATH METAL. death-doom, slow rotting
death metal, grinding funeral doom all work as well.
I guess that as a musician you
write and play the music that satisfies your feelings and ideology/philosophy,
but how would you like people to interpret and comprehend your music?
One
of the things that makes art interesting to me is the element of interpretation
and personal connection. Our music is made with our own intention, but at the
same time we are attempting to tap into something outside of the human realm
and therefore any other person is just as capable of reaching into. If we can
command the listener into a place of trance, whatever that may to the
individual, then thats good enough for me.
What does the lyrics deal about,
what´s your inspiration? Tell me about the meaning of the album title.
The
lyrical approach is that of an inward meditation to confront and reveal the
shadow of the Self. Only with confronting the darkness within, can you discover
true will. The unconscious affects the conscious and the lyrics serve as a
dialogue between the two, in an attempt to bridge the gap and unveil the Self.
“Eroded Corridors of Unbeing” attempts to convey the remnants of the ego along
the pathways to acausal darkness and nothingness.
Is there any lyric for which you
had a special connection?
The
overall theme of the album is vaguely personal, so no one particular song
sticks out but the overall context of the theme certainly connects with me.
“Terminal Exhalation…” is one song where the music and the lyrics fit
completely well together, and that is in part thanks to Paul who helped
finalize the lyrical aspect of that song.
The artwork looks intriguing and
mysterious, tell me about the idea/concept behind it and about its author.
Manifester
has handled all of our art aside from the Phrenelith split, and we give him
pretty much free reign. At the same time we work very closely, and during the
artwork for the album, we worked together sometimes 20 hours a week. We
explored different formats and layout options, going over lyrics with sketches
and discussing certain feelings/auras we wanted to capture and portray. Once it
came to the actual execution, he interpreted the sounds into his own vision and
we couldn’t be more satisfied with the outcome. The lyrics were all transcribed
by our friend Samu Salovaara (of Swallowed) and we operated in a similar way. I
sent him the songs, and lyrics, and he was able to perfectly represent the
abstractions of the lyrics and subtleties of the songwriting. Strangely enough,
when we paired the two side by side, both artists showed some similarities in
the forms and compositions, which was interesting and intriguing for me.
How did Dark Descent contact
you? Are you satisfied with your business relationship with them so far?
Ive
known Matt since around 2010 and we’ve always been friends. The business
relationship is very much secondary to the personal relationship which makes
the business aspect very relaxed and casual. We are extremely satisfied with
the pact between SV and Dark Descent.
Vinyl, CD, tape, digital…among
all this formats which one do you like to enjoy metal and what´s your favorite
for Spectral voice´s music?
I
love the vinyl format for the obvious and cliched reasons, they are more
permanent than a tape but more delicate and involved than a cd. The
accessibility and low cost of the cassette is also very appealing to me, as it
allows a wider range of people (typically younger generations with less money)
to hear your music. All three formats of the album had their own separate
mastering, and I think the tape is the one that sounds the best to me.
PH: SickenDesigns
What can you tell about your Local scene?
What can you tell about your Local scene?
Not
much, I’m not too up to date with the happenings of it. Our scene of
underground/DIY bands has been pretty small, with a lot of the same core
musicians spread across multiple genres. Recently Denver has received a lot of
attention and people seem to think its a huge bolstering scene, but in reality
its a fairly small group.
How would you describe your live
experience so far? What do you like most about your shows?
Each
tour we’ve done, we’ve honed in the atmosphere a bit more. We play with as
little light as possible, sometimes in complete darkness. We have lots of fog
and incense with the intent to creat an enveloping and disorienting experience.
The live shows are more visceral than the recordings, as an extension of the
violent side of sv.
What´s the strangest place and
the most shocking place you have been?
On
our first European tour, we attempted to drive into Russia from Ukraine, which
ended up being a 12 hour ordeal running all over the place in the freezing
rain, with a huge language barrier and guns pointed at us, while they attempted
to seize all of our merchandise. After all of that we were denied entry and had
to turn around which started a whole other journey to get from Ukraine to
Finland in 3 days. On that same tour, we played in Tel Aviv, Israel. We decided
to go to Jerusalem and that was quite the shocking experience as well. Fanatics
and tourists everywhere, with chanting, crying, yelling, ecstatic dancing and
the like. Very overwhelming and bizarre for sure. Excellent hummus though!!
What is next for Spectral
Voice , Any new material in the works?
We
already have some ideas for 2/3 songs but nothing concrete as of now. We take
our time and reflect on everything that we do, which slows the process down
quite a bit. We will be going on a west coast tour in June with Mortiferum and
Superstition, as well as returning to Europe to play Beyond the Gates, Killtown
Deathfest (!!!) with a 2 week tour supporting Demilich to follow.
Thanks for your time, I hope you
enjoyed answering these questions last words are yours...
Thanks
for the support and thanks for the interesting and in depth questions. Print
zines are the veins of the underground!
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