Welcome to an exclusive interview with Gravethorn, an
emerging force in the realm of blackened death metal. Today, we have the
opportunity to explore the origins of Gravethorn and gain insight into their
unique journey as they transitioned from a solo project to a fully functional
band. Get ready to descend into the abyss and embrace the dark depths of
Gravethorn's blackened death metal!
- Can
you tell us more about the origins of Gravethorn and how the band came
together? Gravethorn really became a side effect of what was a
project in learning how to mix metal music. My last band recorded a
demo and we weren't satisfied with the mixes we paid for. Then the
material just kinda sat around and we weren't really doing anything with
it so I thought "If I have enough time, I can learn some basic stuff
and give us a better mix" which I did, and even though it's not
nearly perfect, it was better than what we had, so we were able to now get
our stuff out there. That band has since disbanded and I continued
messing around and recording stuff at home to learn more, some old ideas
and some new, and eventually, there was enough materiel to really put
together and release a full length, so now I had to come up with a name
for this and make it somewhat official.
- How has your experience of building a home studio during the Covid-19 shutdown influenced your music and the overall sound of Gravethorn? I wouldn't say it influenced the music at all because a lot of this style of music is constantly spinning around in my head, but during the Covid-19 shutdown was a great opportunity to create an environment to capture some of it, as most of my best ideas disappear into the ethyr on a regular basis. It really didn't take much to do, I had a spare bedroom and during the Covid-19 Shutdown, I saw it as an opportunity to take this on, because prior to Covid-19, it was always somewhat in my head to pursue this, but I never really had the time to dedicate to getting a project like this started, and now I had plenty of time so it was a matter of taking advantage of an opportunity when others were complaining about the inconvenience. I was fortunate enough to have the financial resources to get a good computer for the recording software, and I've been collecting gear for years whenever I saw a good deal on used equipment. I built a custom desk to fit the gear into, and now my spare bedroom is known as "Heathen War Studios"
- What
were the main challenges you faced in learning to mix music and how did
you overcome them? Well, it's definitely a complex science and to be
honest, I've barely tapped the surface, it's quite a wormhole of knowledge
and I salute all of those engineers and people who make their living
behind the soundboard. Some of the main challenges are to remind
myself I'll never be 100% satisfied with the mix, and there will always be
better mixes out there. There's some rules I've heard like 30/10 meaning
30 minutes of mixing, 10 minute break, repeat or else it all starts
sounding the same. I unfortunately found myself doing 4 hours and
then taking a break, which probably slowed my progress. Sometimes I
thought it sounded good, went to bed and the next day I thought it sounded
awful. I would definitely say I did NOT overcome any challenges,
hahaha. The learning always continues, but it's nice to look back to
where I was when I first started and know I've come a long way since
then.
- Could
you describe the vision/hallucination that inspired the name
"Gravethorn" and how it relates to the band's identity and
music? So often as I'm falling asleep, I realize I'm starting to
dream, but I'm conscious enough to realize I'm partially awake, so I try
to relax my brain to the point where the dream is happening but I'm still
awake, so it's similar to a hallucination. One night, I was
listening to some Ambient music (I don't remember who, it was on a
streaming playlist) and I had this vision of several centuries ago (and
this is obviously a fictional thought) when people of wealth or power
died, the professional grave diggers of that era had a system of soaking
thorns and vines into a toxic solution and as the thorns soaked up
the toxins, and they carefully wrapped the casket with these thorns, in
the event of a grave robber trying to steal the valuable contents inside
the coffin. They would shortly get very sick and a large raven would
come and stand over them and inhale the final breath of the would be
thief. These thorns were known as the gravethorns. before I
completely fell asleep, I made a note of the name, and the next day I
liked it, so I decided to keep it. The fact that the vision took
place a long time ago and I've always been fascinated with things from a
long time ago probably helped link the identity, the name, the vision and
the music.
- Your
debut solo album has received a lot of support. How did it feel to have
friends from previous bands contribute to the project, and how did their
involvement shape the album? It felt amazing to have friends
contribute! I'm originally from the East Coast of USA, and was
involved in a few different bands years ago with some amazing
players. When bands dissolved, it was usually on good terms and we
continued friendships, The same with my situation here in Las Vegas,
I wanted the guitarists of my last band on this CD, in addition to Robert
Emerson, who we had planned on starting a band together anyway, I had some
stuff put together and sent a message to my friends to see if they'd be
interested, and most of them were. The ones that did contribute, I
heard what they did and it really made me step things up because I've
looked up to them for many years in regards to their musicianship,
and I thought, "this has to be a really good CD to feature these
guys, I can't have these amazing guitar solos on songs that are just
ok". I owe a great deal of gratitude to these guys, they made
what would have been a pretty cool CD to a really great CD, and I know I'm
biased, but I'm really happy with how everything came out.
- What
made you decide to transition Gravethorn from a solo project to a
functional band, and how did the conversation with Robert Emerson and Bob
Hill influence this decision? Bob was the drummer of my previous
band, and even though that band dissolved, I knew I wanted to still
continue music with him in some capacity, we have a great chemistry that
works well together and obviously, he's an excellent drummer. Our
vision for the last band were on very similar terms, so he'd be the
perfect drummer for Gravethorn if he wanted to be. The funny thing
is, some of the songs on this CD I had wanted to contribute to the
previous band, and it just never happened, but Bob knew the music I made
and liked it. When the previous band was fading out, Bob and I
started jamming with Robert, and some really cool stuff was happening with
stuff Robert wrote, but regular rehearsals were getting difficult due to a
variety of life's hiccups, work schedules, relocation, etc. When the
Gravethorn CD started picking up some steam online and gaining traction,
Bob told me he was going to start playing the Gravethorn stuff, which I
thought he was joking because he's a death metal guy first, but in my head
I was thinking "that would be amazing if that came together",
and the song Robert played on (March of the Savages) was doing
really good on Spotify, so I casually said "We might have to make
this an actual thing" and he replied that he was thinking the same
thing. So we had a casual meeting in a restaurant and discussed
goals and strategies of what to do with Gravethorn and we're all on the
same page on what we'd like to pursue with this, with realistic
expectations. We wanted to make sure we were all on the same page
before going forward, so as of now, Gravethorn is a 3 piece with Bob Hill,
Robert Emerson and myself with room for expansion.
- As
you work on completing the lineup for the band, what qualities or skills
are you looking for in potential members? Definitely a passion for
Black and Death Metal. Reliability is just as important, and
obviously, know how to play. Stage experience, own gear and
transportation, a steady job, the usual stuff. But we also have to
be able to get along as well. I've seen too many bands go for the
most amazing player they can find, but it's not going to work out if
everyone isn't getting along. Everyone in this band will be equally
important to the band, there will be no egos or competitive players.
It's more about the feel of the music and less about who's better than
who.
- Can
you give us a glimpse into the creative process behind your music? How do
you typically approach songwriting and arranging? To be honest, I
don't really have an approach. Sometimes I'm sitting in my studio
just plucking the strings of the guitar and nothing is happening, but
sometimes something comes out and that's the inspiration right there, it
just takes that one chord progression that can open many doors of
creativity. Having the studio, I'm fortunate that I can capture the
thoughts before I forget them as long as I'm home. Many of my best
ideas musically happen when I'm nowhere near home, and unfortunately I
forget the idea. Sometimes I have an idea in my head and when I try
to play it, it sounds awful, but if I play it wrong, I like it. It's
a big mess in my head, hahaha.
- How
would you describe the musical style and genre of Gravethorn? Are there
any specific influences that have shaped your sound? It's funny
because I describe it as Blackened Death Metal, some people say it's
straight Black Metal, some Black Metal diehards say it isn't "trve
kvlt" enough and they call it Death Metal, some Death Metal diehards
say it is not Death Metal in any way, it just goes to show that everyone
has a different vision of what a genre should contain. Regardless of
what one calls their own music, there's always someone that's going to re-label
it. Personally, I think there's way too many genres, but that's just
me being a grumpy old man. I was very happy the first time I
realized the streaming platform Pandora gave us our own station, and after
my song, I was hearing Dark Funeral, Enslaved, Immortal, Behemoth, Abbath,
and many of my favorites, they lumped Gravethorn in with some awesome
bands. I'd say the direct influences are tough to define,
because there's always going to be stuff floating around in your head that
have become a part of you and may have been a variation of a variation of
something you heard years ago. For me, I'd say Watain, Belphegor,
Winterfelyth, Emperor, Black Sabbath, Type O Negative, Dark Funeral,
Immolation, they all probably played a certain factor in how this came
out. Plus all of the subconscious stuff that creeps into your head
when you're not paying attention.
- What
themes or messages do you explore in your lyrics, and why are they
important to you? Again, sometimes these things just come to me when
I'm about to fall asleep, I'm not sending political messages, I'm not a
poet or anything like that; stuff gets stuck in my head and I just want to
get it out there for anyone else who might listening to it. A friend
told me when stuff like this pops in your head (whether it's lyrics or
music) they're gifts from the ethyr, from spirits in other
dimensions. Many of the lyrics have to do with conquering overlords
or people that think they should dominate your life, some are about
communicating with the dead. That covers a lot of bases whether it's
political or religious, people can interpret the lyrics however they want
(and they certainly will, haha) , and many times they can relate for a
variety of reasons, but it's really just meant to entertain.
- Are
there any specific songs on your album that hold a special significance or
personal meaning to you? If so, which ones and why? They all have a
place inside me in some capacity, but I'd say "Kingdom of Vines"
because parts of it were kicking around inside my head for many years,
back to the 1990s, something I wanted to start with my friends back home
but my friends I wanted to get together with already had other bands and
were pretty dedicated to that. It's great that I had the opportunity
to see that song to it's completion (finally!)
- What
are your plans for the future of Gravethorn? Do you have any upcoming
projects or shows that fans can look forward to? No shows anytime
soon, we have to complete the lineup before we set that goal, but yes, we
want to get on the festivals and play for sure. We're older and have
done way more non-paying bar gigs than anyone should have to do in their
lives. I know it's part of the process, but we've all certainly paid
our dues in music. For now, it's all about getting plenty of
rehearsals under our belts, completing the lineup, and using the power of
the internet to really spread the word. We're very much looking
forward to playing live shows again.
- How
has the reception been for your music so far? Have there been any standout
moments or memorable experiences you'd like to share? The reception
has been amazing and much better than I anticipated. The metal community
is truly incredible and people are giving us some phenomenal
feedback. I'm very happy this is resonating so positive with so many
people. When something resonates with someone, it's a really special
thing, almost at a spiritual level for some. I'm honored to have
been put in a position to be able to take those noises in my cranium and
pass them forward to those waiting and willing to hear it.
Everything is still in that whirlwind phase so I can't name any specific
standout moments, it's one after another to be honest. I went and
saw Emperor this past Saturday night in Anaheim California, which is about
a 5 hour drive from my house, and when I gave some CDs away, some people
actually recognized the name and said they heard of me, so that was a
pretty big deal seeing as this is still a very new project in the big
picture.
- As a
band, what do you hope listeners take away from your music? What emotions
or connections do you aim to evoke through your songs? Mainly, I
just hope it brings a feeling of satisfaction to whoever wants to accept
it. I know it's not for everyone, people have their opinions of how
something should sound, that's fine, but if those who like it REALLY like
it, that's all I can ask for. I hope it brings them to the great
places I've been to when I closed my eyes and listened to some of
the great artists I heard for the first time. It did elicit a
very negative response to one person-rightfully so. My friend's
truck recently got stolen, when it was found, we looked at it, the
interior was a mess, they stole his stereo and speakers. Within the
mess, we found the Gravethorn CD (which was originally in the stereo that
got stolen), and it was actually smashed. They took the time to
smash a CD instead of just tossing it aside. You have to really make
an effort based on negative emotion to smash a CD inside a vehicle full of
soft upholstery. I'm really glad the music upset them that much, if
they stayed out of my friends vehicle, they wouldn't have felt that
anger.
- Finally,
is there anything else you would like to share with your fans and the
readers of this interview? This is always a tough one to
answer. I'm sure there's many things I could say, but can't think of
any of them at the moment. Just be good to yourselves, be good to
others, support the music underground in any way you can, share
music, stand up for yourselves when necessary, and in this day in age,
don't look for reasons to hate or be offended, look for good Metal to
listen to instead!
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