Luckily most bands aren't like that. UK death metal levitators Grave Miasma proved to be as trustworthy as their debut EP Exalted Emanation has proven to be compelling. We agreed to do the interview as soon as the EP was released, and sure enough I sent the questions to the band after listening to the EP intensely for two days. As a number of interviews had already fallen through, we were a bit in a hurry to get the final pieces together, and we were really glad Grave Miasma delivered just that. Reading the interview now I don't see anything that would betray the circumstances.
We're currently putting together the second issue of the collaboration zine Serpentscope. Once again, it's going to be an observant take on the art of death metal. Not going to give you a release date yet, though. I've learnt that much by now.
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"A Seance"
An interview with CCOTN of Grave Miasma.
Originally published in Serpentscope I, October 2009.
As we all know, there are quite a few underground metal albums that have taken their time to materialise. It took a good while for Mayhem to write and release their debut, and of course there are bands like Malign whose debut full-lengths – we hope – are still in the pipeline. Baudelaire’s words, “Time is short and Art is long,” echo in my ears. Who are we to meddle with things we have only limited influence over?
On the Nuclear War Now! Forum a member of the Grave Miasma cult stated that “Exalted Emanation is what we've been working on for the past 5 years. The recordings began just over a year ago.” To even think that the band spent five years writing a 35-minute long EP makes me give kudos to the band for their steadfastness, patience and dedication. How would guitarist-vocalist CCOTN characterise the process, though – was it more sporadic or did it really need this much time to be completed?
- The reasons for such procrastination were mostly down to the impracticality of being a band comprised of individuals who, for three years, were based in three separate and distant cities. However, the writing process for the recording took 3 ½ years from beginning to end (not including the sporadic touches made spontaneously in-studio). We do put a lot of thought into song-crafting – a term I prefer to ‘writing’ – which results in numerous alterations from the skeletal base of the track.
Even though CCOTN admits the process was at times sporadic, in that the band members didn’t exactly breathe Exalted Emanation every minute the whole five years, it doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s a long time to have something half-finished haunting you in the back of your mind. In other words, in what ways was the process consuming? Or would CCOTN rather say that now that the EP is completed, the band is finally free from its yoke and thus even more inspired to start writing its successor?
- The process was consuming, as we do not consider songs merely collections of rhythms and riffs. The final recordings could have only produced the feeling we wished to develop with this release.
- We see Exalted Emanation as a beginning, quite simply because we feel the energy behind the EP will inspire us towards greater goals.
Treading on the stock question side somewhat, how much of Exalted Emanation is you and how much of it would you attribute to forces that are beyond human control? I mean, do you feel that you were in control as regards the direction the music took?
- I do not classify myself as a musician who picks up his [t]rusty mode of output in the passive name of simply ‘playing’. There is an element of exorcism involved, and primordial macabre melodies can be reached through these means. The elements that are us are those meditative thoughts that are fixated on recreating the sounds of, say, a lost ritual temple dedicated to once-merciless, malicious but now forgotten deities. These are not beyond human control, but outside of human reason.
Then again, how do you see the meaning of control or organisation – or the lack thereof – as regards death/black metal and, in particular, Grave Miasma?
- Establishing control over what is in essence an art-form is forming order from chaos. However, the soul of Death Metal has always been based on a relentless sinister power which remains a backbone of Grave Miasma.
- Unfortunately Death Metal in general evolved and lost this old coffin spirit, and became predominately based on tightness through more synthetic sounds and speeds, negating the fundamental principle of feeling.
LABYRINTH WITHOUT WALLS
The patience and discipline Grave Miasma shows in the songs on Exalted Emanation makes me think that the band’s modus operandi is not “tearing down just to tear down.” CCOTN states that while their “recordings should lead the listener into a labyrinthine course rather than just obliterate,” they still are a metal band and therefore aggression is also a key component. Their aim, however, is to evoke – “hence the term on our flyer ‘Death Metal Levitation’.” Now that the record is out, what defines its “success” to you? For instance, what would it tell about the record, if you were to get shivers from listening to it yourself?
- Indeed, listening sessions did result in shivers amongst us before the feeling of familiarity struck. In my opinion, the ‘success’ of the record can only be measured in 10+ years. If Exalted Emanation carries longevity and is talked about, venerated and name-dropped in that period, then perhaps we may have released something monumental. We definitely do not look upon success as something material or monetary.
So, Grave Miasma won’t settle for anything less than monumental. What makes them more monumental and even more difficult to just brush aside is their new name. As you might know, Grave Miasma used to go under the Goat Molestör moniker. We’ll let CCOTN recapitulate.
- As far as writing is concerned, our processes have evolved rather than changing direction completely, in addition to our collective personality as a band. To conveniently reiterate what I have said in earlier interviews, we felt that our band had nothing in common with the ‘Goat Metal’ sound and ideas (or lack of) that had transpired. We did not want to be categorised in the same way as the goats-in-gasmask bands that were appearing around this time (2005), which were becoming a parody. On the other hand, categorisations and opinions did not shape our decision. A less primitive name should have been assumed from the onset instead of midway.
The band’s vision has clearly evolved into more labyrinthine and visionary directions over the years, and arguably that development lends to the potency of the new record. Coming back to the new name, then, I personally consider the word Miasma a very powerful one. There’s both a certain mystique (i.e. abstract quality) and a sense of something putridly concrete in it. What kind of connotations does that word – and the whole name Grave Miasma – bring to your mind?
- You are precisely correct that the word has a certain mystique, and this is why it was chosen. From a linguistic perspective the first usage of the word in the English language - borrowed from the Greek - connoted disease and death. There was a perception that the ‘miasma’ was an abstruse and indiscernible force contributing to a depraved atmosphere. The Grave Miasma is part of the unseen and invisible world, and is a feeling to which we dedicate the band.
As CCOTN points out, the band hasn’t only retained the initials of its name, since the lineup and even the musical direction is pretty much the same as it was, for example, on Realm of Evoked Doom, the last EP released under the old moniker. The more straightforward and acerbic name may be gone, but Grave Miasma still includes songs of their previous incarnation in their current live sets. CCOTN elaborates that “despite looking at our old moniker with a vestige of shame, that certainly does not extend to the material recorded.” The man is right, and if you want proof, look for the CD rerelease of the aforementioned Realm of Evoked Doom, which should be available soon.
Since the live gigs were mentioned, I have to ask you what kind of function do they serve for you? Do you have any anecdotes you’d like to share that relate to your live gigs?
- This is a question I have often asked myself in the past. I’m sure you will agree that there are some bands that would never ‘work’ live, and exist for the purpose of listening to in certain circumstances. However, we are assured that Grave Miasma is not one of those bands. A live gig serves as an active visual of channelling spirit into flesh.
- There are not so many ‘infamous’ anecdotes relating to past gigs, although we prefer to perform surrounded by skulls and candlelight, covered in blood if conditions allow so.
Sounds like a death metal gig I’d like to attend. So, we now know the ideal circumstances for a Grave Miasma gig, but what defines death metal mentally or psychologically for CCOTN?
- To go further into boundless depths, embodying the principle of Ain Soph. Musically, Death Metal can be used to open caverns of morbidity that can unleash cosmic shapes (think Abominations of Desolation) or exhibit the sheer, dense horror that devours the beholder in a cryptic realm (think Reflections of the Solstice), pounding the listener with fists of depravity beyond any rational return (think Into the Grave).
Qabbalah reference spotted. This actually brings us to an interesting, important and often avoided question. That is, how closely connected can the composition process – or the actual music, in general – be with the more meditative and Occult side of a band? I mean, would you define music as a magical practice? What exactly happens to you while playing?
- There is an inherent facet of simple Occult principles whilst creating music, as I would characterise it as a type of conjuration and invocation from something unseen and beyond.
- The concept of time does not exist whilst playing live. Sets start and finish in a flash that defy their allotted time-slot, which for me cannot be simply attributed to adrenaline alone.
Talk about closing your eyes and going with the flow. Alas, it has always been the case with many death metal bands, and understandably so, that death metal becomes an influence unto itself. Realistically speaking, not being influenced by the death metal canon and still perform music more or less in the same style wouldn’t be all that likely today. To what extent would you say Grave Miasma’s influences come from outside of the death metal realm?
- To a fair extent. From a musical perspective, we do draw influences from a lot of Ambient and Near-Eastern & Persian music, both from both a melodic point of view or from a perception of atmosphere. Outside of music, Death Metal can indeed be influenced by cemeteries, landscapes, history... anything with a sinister and morbid undercurrent.
On Exalted Emanation, there is quite a lot of imagery that calls to mind Necromancy (e.g. the title Arisen through the Grave Miasma, the line “The unearthed, invoked spirits...” from Gnosis of the Summon, and perhaps in particular the line “Transcendental seances reawaken spirits” from Kussa'u Tibtihu). I know it’s a pretty broad, let alone personal question, but would you care to explain your views concerning life after death, as regards the art of necromancy, in particular?
- Life and death is a cyclical process with no ‘dormant’ stage in between. There is life in decay and the returning merge into the elements. There is more spirit and life in the remains of a mummified corpse than any modern interpretation of living.
- The imagery alluded to in those lines you quote are based on visions built on dead temples. The common man may describe tangible feelings as ‘eerie’, but followers of the Unearthly can gauge the silent rising of the dead. Practicing these arts is not something I consciously delve in, although hopefully in the distant future it would be possible to visit the ancient gates of Nineveh to perform a libation to the dead that filled wells.
The lyrics also make use of various mythologies by mentioning Vayu, the Hindu deity of Life/Lord of the Winds; Ra, the Egyptian sun god; Da’ath, “knowledge” in Qabbalah etc. When did you first become interested in these mythologies and would you please name some of the books/authors which have contributed most to your thinking about the Occult?
- To make a slight correction, the usage of Vayu was derived from the ‘demonic’ implications of wind and atmosphere found in Zoroastrian myth.
- I will not bore the reader of this interview by listing names that have been listed by many in the past, however the notion of the connection between aura and death have fascinated me for some time.
Even though CCOTN is reluctant to name-drop his influences, it’s perhaps a little surprising that in the song Gnosis of the Summon there’s a line “Call for thee, the Great Beast”. Is this a reference to Aleister Crowley? How would you describe your relationship to his work and his importance to Grave Miasma overall?
- Actually, it is not a reference to Crowley himself. I would not describe his works as of chief importance to Exalted Emanation, as in truth I have only been inspired by some of his writings. In spite of this, some personal experiences (without which render readings into Occultism as information) lately have embodied – in so far that I have reached – components of some of his most important ideas. Further exploration is needed.
To end with what it begins somewhat, it might be gathered that the starting lines of Arisen through the Grave Miasma say something essential about the band: “An offering from Vayu to death / Or Shattered bones manifest...” The more symbological/mythological plane and the more concrete level go side by side, and that is something of a statement of intent: that Grave Miasma doesn’t only work on the abstract and metaphorical level, but there is concrete experience behind the lyrics, as was pointed in CCOTN’s previous answer.
- The relationship between the elements and death are what that line particularly refers to. There is a clear metaphorical basis of our lyrics, which is shaped from writings devoured through our pursuits in Occultism, and abstractions found in Horror. As alluded to in a prior question, there is a clear concrete spiritual essence in decay. Lyrically, merging this philosophy with writings, particularly of the Qabbalistic nature, are of primary importance to Grave Miasma.
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