Encrimson'd
"Agrarian Menace" consists
of tunes, melodies and musical ideas, I haven't heard in a while. This
album contains songs that will stick to your head and will make you listen
to the album again and again. This is a pure dynamite from every aspect.
The music, the lyrics, the artwork... everything is superb! You must make
sure to check Encrimson'd out!!! Here we have Chris and Shaun talking about
the band and other interesting stuff...
1.CONGRATULATIONS FOR "AGRARIAN MENACE"! IT'S
A GREAT ALBUM FROM EVERY ASPECT, BUT I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT YOU, THE CREATORS,
THINK ABOUT IT NOW...
CHRIS: We are very happy with it. It
took us quite a while to release it because we all live in different places
and the recording situation was far from perfect. We recorded and mixed
at different places and times, so with these conditions in mind, the record
turned out great.
2.WHICH ARE YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENTS AS A BAND?
GIVE US A SHORT BAND BIO.
CHRIS: We are good friends from High School.
We started playing black metal for fun in our drummer’s basement during
the summer months when we were all back home for vacation from college.
We wrote and recorded demos any chance we could get, like over Christmas
holidays and such. The situation is still similar now and the fact that
we have managed to stay together as an active band despite the long distances
is in my mind our greatest achievement.
3.NOW, LET'S TALK ABOUT THE MUSIC... YOU BELONG
TO THE WIDER GENRE OF MELODIC BLACK METAL. HOWEVER, I THINK THAT YOU HAVE
QUITE A PERSONAL TOUCH! HOW DID YOU ACHIEVE THIS? WHY DO YOU THINK SOME
BANDS CAN AND OTHERS CAN'T CREATE A PERSONAL PERCEPTION IN THEIR MUSIC?
CHRIS: To be honest, we don’t listen to much
black metal anymore. In the beginning we were deeply influenced by the
giants like Satyricon, Ulver, Opeth and Enslaved, but in our eyes none
of them make interesting music anymore. I can’t think of any current black
metal bands that write truly quality music. We had our own vision from
the beginning that’s what makes the creative process so rewarding for us.
We write music that speaks to US, and that’s all that matters.
4.THE TRADITIONAL RURAL AND FOLK INFLUENCES IN
YOUR MUSIC, I THINK, ARE MORE THAN OBVIOUS. WHICH BANDS AND ARTISTS "SHOWED"
YOU THIS MUSICAL PATH?
CHRIS: We’ve always loved Viking bands like
Enslaved, Hades and Mithotyn because their music was fast and vicious but
not dark like traditional black metal. Their music to us was much more
emotionally complex. The victorious, cheerful and even silly elements were
more interesting to us and we took that to a different level.
5.THERE ARE, ACCORDING TO ME, 2 BRANCHES OF BLACK
METAL MUSIC. THE RAW, PRIMITIVE ONE THAT DOENS'T ACCEPT ANY CHANGES AND
THE MORE MELODIC AND EXPERIMENTAL ONE THAT CONSISTS OF REALLY SKILLED MUSICIANS
WITH A DIFFERENT MUSICAL VISION. YOU BELONG TO THE SECOND CATEGORY. HOWEVER,
DO YOU THINK YOU COULD MOVE TO THE FIRST BRANCH? JUSTIFY YOUR OPINION.
CHRIS: Like I said, we don’t really listen
to much current “melodic black metal,” so I’m not even sure which bands
you are referring to. I actually think some of our own music is pretty
raw and primitive. I’m sure there are probably lots of Dimmu Borgir and
Borknagar clones, since they are so popular now, but we have no interest
in that. Shaun, our guitar player, who writes most of the music is mostly
inspired by classical composers.
6.YOU HAVE STUDIED YOUR INSTRUMENTS AND THIS IS
OBVIOUS IN YOUR COMPOSITIONS AND TECHNIQUE. DO YOUTHINK IT'S IMPORTANT
TO BE A TECHNICALLY GOOD AND SKILLFUL MUSICIAN OR YOU DON'T THINK THIS
IS NECESSARY? WHAT IS IT FOR YOU? FEELING OR TECHNIQUE?
CHRIS: A combination of both. You need skill
to properly express yourself. Even when the music is simplistic, there
are nuances that can be captured only with the right technique. On the
other hand, too much emphasis on technicality can kill emotion in the music.
Shaun: We have never worried about whether
our music is virtuosic or simplistic during the compositional process.
The most important thing we want our listeners to hear is the passion we
put into our music and hopefully they will feel the same emotions listening
to it as we feel playing it. Knowing our instruments as well as we can
is a high priority for us in order to achieve as much creativity as we
can.
7.NOW THE LYRICS...I THINK YOU SHOULD TALK ABOUT
EACH SONG'S THEME. HOWEVER, WHAT I SAW IS AN ANTI-COMFORMIST AND REBELLIOUS
ATTITUDE THAT GOES AGAINST THE CURRENT AND JUDGES NOWADAYS SOCIETY. AM
I RIGHT?
CHRIS: Originally our lyrical themes had some
traditional dark and mysterious elements, old Czech myths, forests and
all that good stuff. That evolved to topics on the peasant lifestyle, painting
a picture of a simpler, more fruitful life, one filled with the rewards
of labor, celebration of community and defending what’s rightfully yours.
The latest lyrics have a more abstract story-telling approach, and try
to coincide with the emotion of the music very closely. “Agrarian Menace”
has a combination of all of these phases.
Red Boar Inn Revolt – This song is a
cry for revolt for all common folk to rise up against their aristocratic
oppressors.
The Piper’s Tale – A story of death,
war and heartbreak.
Old Man – The newest material. A story,
about an old man, a hermit living in the woods, sitting by a stream reflecting
on his life of mistakes and regret. The lyrics are very visual but also
metaphoric and abstract.
My Feast – Also dubbed “Battle,” this
song attempts to describe the act of giving your life on the battlefield
to protect your community.
Amber Shades – Largely instrumental,
the lyrics are scarce and mainly deal with celebration the fruits of your
labor.
As Echoes Down Fall – One of our oldest
songs, it's about bittersweet old memories and mysterious forests. We like
forests, a lot.
8.THERE ARE SOME LYRICS IN CZECH LANGUAGE. IS
DANECEK'S ORIGIN FROM THE CZECH REPUBLIC? WHAT DO THEY SAY? WHERE WERE
THEY TAKEN FROM? WHAT'S THIS "Z MEHO DOMOVA" AND WHO IS KAREL PLICKA?
CHRIS: I was born in Prague, Czech Republic
and lived when I was young. Needless to say this left some serious influence
on me. The Czech texts are from old Czech folk poems from the book you
mentioned. Plicka is merely the editor. I added them because they capture
the essence of the common folk lifestyle so beautifully and simplistically.
9.I THINK THE PRODUCTION IS GOOD BUT THE SOUND
DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH VOLUME. IT'S A BIT POOR AND DIM. WAS IT YOUR INTENTION?
ARE YOU FULLY SATISFIED WITH IT?
CHRIS: It was our intention to have a raw
and “in your face” sound, not a polished, shiny production. However, of
course its not perfect, its self-financed and recorded by us with our friend.
People complain about production way too much, and other reviews criticize
the record for it way too much. It's underground self-released black metal,
what do people expect? It's not like we have a $10,000 recording budget.
Since when do people bitch about production in black metal anyway, haha.
Get over it and listen to the music.
10.WHY HAVE YOU DECIDED TO RELEASE "AGRARIAN MENACE"
AS A SELF FINANCED CD AND HAVEN'T SEARCHED FOR A LABEL? ARE YOU IN TOUCH
WITH ANY WILLING TO RELEASE YOUR CD?
CHRIS: Our demo material prior the “Agrarian
Menace” was not widely circulated and the recording quality was not good
enough to attract label attention. We are currently seeking label support
for our next release.
11.THE COVER ARTWORK IS BEAUTIFUL! I LOVE THE
COLORS! YOU HAVE ADAPTED THE COVER PAINTING... WHICH IS THE ARTIST? DO
YOU WANT TO GIVE US SOME MORE INFO ON THAT?
CHRIS: The painting was actually done
by my father, Andrew Danecek (www.andrewdanecek.com).
We wanted a vibrant and primitive landscape for the cover. We’ve always
admired Millet’s and Van Gogh’s paintings of the peasant lifestyle and
wanted a similar feel. I proposed to him to create an adaptation on Millet’s
“Man with Hoe” and he was very excited to work on the project.
I also loved the concept that everything on
the album was created by people very close to me, my friends and family.
The music by me and my friends, the cover art by my father and the layout
by my good friend and graphic artist, Marcos (http://marcos-solo.com/),
who is also the guitar player from my other band Pillory (www.pillorygrind.com).
12.DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS FOR LIVE SHOWS? WHAT
DO YOU HAVE TO OFFER TO THOSE WHO WILL ATTEND YOUR SHOWS?
CHRIS: Live shows is not something we can
easily do because we all live in different parts of the country. I live
in Boston, Massachusetts and Jared and Shaun both live in different parts
of Minnesota. Our main focus now is to release the next album with label
support. We have played several great shows in the past and we would love
to play shows in the future, especially in Europe, where I think our music
would be more appreciated. Everything depends on the success of “Agrarian
Menace” and the opportunities that will hopefully follow.
13.IF YOUR MUSIC WERE AN EMOTION, WHAT WOULD IT
BE? IF IT WERE A PAINTING, WHAT WOULD IT SHOW?
CHRIS: Difficult to choose one, but I’ll say
melancholy. Behind most of there lyrics are real emotions based on memories
from my childhood, both dark and bright. This carries over into the music
for me.
I’ve always compared our music to Impressionism,
it's vibrant and blinding. A celebration of light and emotion, quite different
from traditional black metal in this sense. Monet’s haystacks have always
reminded me of our music, very bright and different shades of similar intense
emotions.
14.IF YOU COULD INVITE FAMOUS MUSICIANS TO PARTICIPATE
IN YOUR MUSIC, WHO WOULD YOU CHOOSE AND WHY?
CHRIS: Nobody, my friends are the best musicians
to me.
Shaun: It might be interesting to compose some
music with people like Krystof Penderecki, Henryk Gorecki, or Phillip Glass.
I bet they could write some truly dark and emotional metal.
15.IF TIME TRAVEL WAS POSSIBLE, WHICH PERIOD WOULD
YOU CHOOSE TO VISIT AND WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE?
CHRIS: That’s a tough one, ancient Rome, Prague
under German and Soviet occupation and Florence during the Renaissance.
Shaun: I would say the first half of the 18th
century so I could take composition lessons from J.S. Bach.
16.WHICH WORDS DO YOU THINK CAN DESCRIBE YOUR
MUSIC BETTER? WHAT PHRASE CAN SUM UP IDEALLY THE BAND'S HISTORY AND ESSENCE?
CHRIS: “Take up thy scythe, our rage
is deep, aristocratic bread we reap!”
17.THANK YOU! THESE LINES ARE YOURS...
CHRIS: Thank you Christine for this opportunity.
I hope this interview will help us gain fans of intense and emotional black
metal. Two songs from the album are available on our new website www.encrimsond.com.
Scythes up!
Christine Parastatidou
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