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BLACK
SUN:
Ripping
Themselves Open
& Sewing Themselves Shut.
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I've
listened to a lot of great albums during the last few years, but
few of them have the staying power of Black Sun's Paralyser.
Taking into account that this is an EP that only includes three
versions of the same songs that shall go light years to say
something about what this Scottish band will be able to
accomplish in the years to come. Vocalist & drummer Russell and
guitarist & vocalisy Kevin are kind enough to answer in detail
all our questions. Read on and spread the word!
- Black Sun has been around for a while. How do you see the
Black Sun of today compared to the Black Sun of say
Fleshmarket? Do you think of the current band as a more
solid/more gelled unit?
(Russell McEwan –
Vocals & Drums) We have a strong working relationship as well as
friendship in Black Sun. It’s been ten years since the release
of Fleshmarket but the seeds the live band really grew
around the recording and release of Circus of the Fallen
when Graeme Leggate joined on bass guitar. I have been working
with Kevin (Hare; guitar and vocals) and Graeme so long that a
musical telepathy has developed between us through practice. I’m
really excited about the new songs in progress at the moment;
there are new emotional depths to our sound.
(Kevin Hare – Guitar &
Vocals) In the days of Fleshmarket, the music was
predominately sample based, as such this proved to have its
limitations. Russell and myself were using a drum machine with
me on guitar and vocals and Russell on bass, vocals and
programming. With the addition of Graeme on bass and Russell
moving back to the kit the Black Sun of today was born. Our
compatibility is airtight now, as a unit we know how each other
will approach new material and because of this we can move
through ideas quicker and to greater benefit the quality of the
songs. Quite simply only this line up as a core could be Black
Sun; each of us lives and breathes the essence of the band.
- What’s the extreme underground music scene like in Glasgow?
Any other bands we should check out?
(RMcE) It’s something
we get asked all the time. There is a huge music community in
Glasgow and it’s a great city to call home and to play. However
like all cities its crowd can be harsh and unforgiving. That
could be with the high level of competition as there are gigs
every night of the week. There is a strong D.I.Y. noise ethic in
Glasgow beginning with our current label At War With False Noise
and Al Mabon, to Lea Cummings of Kylie Minoise and Kovorox
Sound, Ruaridh Sanachan’s Nackt Insecten and Sick Head Tapes.
(KH) There is a great deal of bands in Glasgow playing heavy
music, and encompassing all genres of the underground. I'd say
though that we're the only band doing the type of hardcore doom
that we do, as such we've quite often found ourselves on our
own. Each band is trying to get out and about, and coming from
Scotland it's very hard to break out. It takes a great deal of
perseverance. Many bands have to look out for themselves to a
certain extent, not to be nasty, but because there is so much
time and effort in dealing with your own band. Over the years
however there has been a lot of great bills in Glasgow, some
we've put on others we've been asked to join. Certainly in my
opinion some of the bands worth checking out are Co Exist,
Desalvo, The Black Chain, February Solution, Madman Is Absolute,
Kylie Minoise, Nackt Insecten, and Broken Oath to name a few.
- There is a transition in the sound of Black Sun that has in
the latter days turned into more ‘organic’ music for lack of a
better term. How conscious is the decision to have this
evolution in sound? Do you believe that more can be expressed
with your actual approach to music
(RMcE) Interestingly
enough there is an element of the processing that appears on
Fleshmarket in Paralyser. It feels like there is a
completion of the circle to some extent. The main version
“Paralyser (Prison of the Cross)” was recorded live in the
studio probably most to do with the necessary visual and audio
cues we give each other during such a long song. ‘…(Hammer the
Nails)’ has a backing track created from earlier recording
sessions and ‘…(Dub Mix)’ is full on process based on the
subsequent “…(Hammer the Nails)” sessions.
(KH) I'd say organic is a good way to describe the progression
of the band. Certainly as soon as Russell went onto the kit it
felt more natural for the writing process. I would say that the
music we do is of an organic nature, we spend a great deal of
time jamming even on variations of the one riff until it's
right. The crushing slabs that we create need to be felt through
the attack of the players something which with a drum machine
can be limiting to create. Black Sun has grown now for us to a
point where we can utilize all our tools to gain the desired
effect. When it's just the three of us jamming the possibilities
are limitless, and I would say that Paralyser is a
testament to that fact.
- Tell us a bit about the recording of Paralyser?
(RMcE) Paralyser
has been with us for a long time in various guises and demo
versions before it finally settled on the current three. I would
say it’s been three years from the germination of the idea to
the current day. It’s made us aware of how much we like to
explore all the possibilities of a song and take it beyond where
we might have previously called it finished. Getting into the
studio with Duncan Cameron and having John Cromar of Noma on
keyboards really gelled the whole process into a satisfying
conclusion. I work with the end product in mind and set about
how to achieve that end before we go into the studio. The
reel-to-reel analogue recording process was new and refreshing
and the sound quality in comparison to the digital domain we
normally occupy inspirational too.
(KH) Well “…(Prison Of The Cross)” was recorded and mixed by
Duncan Cameron at Riverside Studios in Glasgow, in just over a
day. “…(Hammer The Nails)” was tracked by Scott Walker in our
practice space in Glasgow in a couple of hours, then sent to
Billy Anderson, in the States to be mixed etc. which took about
2 months with mixes going backwards and forwards. And Russell
did the remix on his own system when time permitted. The whole
process was a big step forward in terms of the quality of the
recordings and I’d say the results speak for themselves. We can
only progress, with better song writing and recordings.
- There were three different producers involved in Paralyser,
what was the idea behind putting out a release with four
different versions of a song?
(RMcE) I wanted to
have a journey that was linked through musical and lyrical
themes and to demonstrate how different the treatment could be
with each song. British post-punk group Wire have an album
entitled The Drill that effectively consists of remixes of the
same song, "Drill". There is weight and substance to Paralyser
as a complete unit that is only achievable through time in the
practice room and on stage. I wanted the album artwork to
reflect the songs and vice versa.
- What do you see going into the future music of Black Sun? Are
there any elements/styles that you are definitely never going to
mess with?
(RMcE) I listen to the
structure of pop music and I’m very interested in call and
response styles like prison work songs recorded by John and Alan
Lomax and military cadences most popularly found in Stanley
Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket. I went through a period of having
the lyrics of traditional hymns such as Julia Ward Howe’s “The
Battle Hymn of the Republic” close at hand. I find it necessary
to explore my musical roots as far back to the beginning as
possible because I enjoy it so much. We’re working steadily on
the material that will become the new album and our plans are to
play further and further afield. We have just confirmed our
appearance at Roadburn 2009, Tilburg Holland with Neurosis, St
Vitus and many other bands we respect too. In terms of musical
styles there is nothing that I wouldn’t want to explore, as I
set no limits. Whatever we do ends up sounding like Black Sun
regardless!
(KH) Well, we have a large portion of the new album written and
the material draws on an even wider range of influences whilst
still staying true to the vibe of Black Sun. As individuals we
listen to a wide range of music and when we bring ideas to the
table there is very much an anything goes ethos. We've reached
the point where there are no limits, because music for us has
always been about progression not regression. The question is
always does it sound like Black Sun? I'm personally a fan of
older jazz like Herbie Hancock, Jimmy Smith and even the
Mahavishnu Orchestra, but this doesn't mean that we're going to
have huge jazz workouts because that would stray from the sound
of Black Sun.
- I read an interview on the great site The Sleeping Shaman
about your influences and you mentioned Kiss It Goodbye. I never
thought of that but I totally hear that now. Paralyser is
totally you, but I see some of that fragmentation of sound of
KIG, where the songs move slowly and are super powerful, but
also sound somewhat ‘broken’ and where the songs are very
‘anti-song’. When composing music, what do you have in mind? Is
it mostly about power? How important is melody? How important is
noise? Please elaborate.
(KH) Thank you very
much for the compliment there! You must be a Kiss It Goodbye fan
yourself. I've always found the ‘broken’ and ‘anti song’ nature
of music very interesting. For me the mid 90's was always one of
the most interesting periods of music, most of the staple genres
that we knew like hardcore and metal etc were becoming saturated
and boring, then suddenly I heard bands like KIG, Deadguy
(earlier naturally!), Buzzoven, 16, Grief, Bloodlet, Eyehategod,
Crowbar etc. The list is endless but it was a very creative
period in underground music. Thinking of that I’d say that every
element that you've mentioned is equal, too much of one element
can and often does become stagnant. I've always liked
unconventional and unpleasant juxtapositions.
- Lyrics-wise, ‘get back on your cross, I nailed you there’,
those are the lyrics that stayed with me the most. I don’t know,
it made me think of a rejection to the guilt imposed on us by
religion. What’s the thematic field for Black Sun?
(RMcE) Those are
Kevin’s lyrics and although we don’t work together directly on
lyrics there is crossover. Most of the time I hear or read a
snippet of something and I put a twist on it’s meaning. Or I
completely misunderstand something in print and it makes another
sense for me. If I’m zoning out on a long walk I become aware of
my heartbeat in time with my steps or in the middle of some
repetitive task and I find myself riffing on a phrase over and
over. It’s probably to do with being a drummer my entire life
and the discipline and maintenance of a rhythm being paramount.
(KH) Russell and I will often write lyrics in tandem trading on
each other's themes, other times we will work out something
different and to be honest if it sounds good - use it! The
themes I write about are to do with my own personal loss of my
best friend 10 years ago, my anger at those who prey on the weak
and go unpunished in today's society, and the hope that one day
we can all transcend to a better place.
- Noise-laden label At War With False Noise has released
Paralyser in vinyl. Sound wise Black Sun is a departure for
them? How did you come to collaborate with them?
(RMcE) At War With
False Noise is just Al at the moment and Black Sun is his jewel
in the crown. I think Al has a real enthusiasm for everything he
releases and it’s important to have a label with someone who
shares your passion. I’ve known Al for quite a long time and I
think I may have played in his Tetsuo project in the early days
before they became Seppuku. Al has a huge respect for the riff
and is probably the most metal person I know. Noise links itself
to metal and black/doom metal in particular I think because of
the spirit they all embody.
(KH) Al's been a good friend and fan of ours for a while now so
it was a great pleasure to work with him on this, and he's an
even bigger fan of Iron Maiden than me, HA HA!!
- One thing that intrigued me about your musical approach is the
vocals. Instead of going for the already tiresome cookie monster
approach you are going for a very raw and visceral angle that is
still quite natural. Was it a conscious decision to avoid the
cookie monster? Singing this way must be devastating for your
voice, how do those chords feel after a show?
(RMcE) One of my
favourite vocalists is Hevi from Corrupted and he uses a fairly
death metal growl although I think their roots might be in crust
punk. My vocal comes out the way it comes out. You are going to
kill your throat if you don’t do it properly and it’s experience
that plays its part again. Lots of practice and gigs all the
time is most important to me in Black Sun. Also vocalizing and
drumming together cross influence each other in terms of
phrasing and power; impacting on what it heard.
(KH) It's actually not as bad as you may think, I suppose I’m
just quite used to it now. There is always the slight fear
though that one day I won't be able to do it, because of the
physicality. My favourites have always been Steve Austin (Today
Is The Day), Johnny Morrow (Iron Monkey), Mike Williams (EyeHateGod),
Grady Avenel (Will Haven) and the dude from Deadguy/Kiss It
Goodbye. All these guys just go for it no holds barred and you
can hear and feel the honesty in the delivery, anything less
just lets the listener down, and I’ve never wanted to do that.
I'm a smoker also so sometimes my voice does get a little fucked
from time to time, in which case you just have to rest it.
- I am always searching for great albums to check out, please
list your favourite records? Those that influenced you and those
that you may be currently spinning.
(RMcE) The music I
listen to might not have any direct correlation to Paralyser
however I return to Estonian composer Arvo Pärt's 'Alina'
time and again for the sheer devastating beauty of it's
minimalism. Nearly all of Arvo Pärt's compositions have the
emotional involvement I require. I discovered bebop trumpeter
Chet Baker a while back and I have since obsessed with the many
versions of his most well known track “My Funny Valentine”. I
currently have the version from The Last Great Concert Vol. 1
album on repeat. I love the quality of his horn and his voice;
this was in his comeback period after a long time in the
wilderness of drug addiction. I have the Brainbombs compilation
of "non music" on constantly and especially 'Macht' and 'B.L.E.E.D'.
They're so fucked up and I'm kinda into fucked up bands like
Burmese, Sword Heaven and Shit and Shine. I like Coil's 'Black
Antlers' CD and particularly their version of “All The Pretty
Little Horses”. There is a skewed beauty and also melody in
there with the weirdness I love. My first introduction to Coil
was the Hellraiser film soundtrack that I have on 10" vinyl.
That soundtrack was deemed too scary by the film studio! I also
love Australian brutists Halo and their Body of Light
album on Relapse. “Meat” is probably my favourite track however
I can have the whole album on and not be aware of the effect of
a shift in time it has on me. Pig Destroyer’s Scott Hull
mastered it and it sounds fucking great. I regularly email
drummer Robert when I'm drunk and demand that they tour again!
Then the next morning I force myself to apologize and request
his forgiveness.
(KH) I LOVE these questions! Taint - The Ruin Of Nova Roma,
Kyuss - Sky Valley, Helmet - Meantime, Jesus
Lizard - Goat, Saint Vitus - Born Too Late &
Saint Vitus, 16 - Dropout, Fudge Tunnel - The
Complicated Futility Of Ignorance, Abdullah - Abdullah,
Brutal Truth - Need To Control & Sounds Of The Animal
Kingdom, Deadguy - Fixation On A Coworker, Avail -
4AM Friday, Capricorns - River Bear Your Bones,
Eyehategod - In The Name Of Suffering, Fu Manchu -
Daredevil, Grief - Come To Grief, Kiss It Goodbye -
She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not..., Crowbar - Odd
Fellows Rest, Pantera - Great Southern Trendkill,
Buzzoven - Sore, Trouble - Psalm 9 & The Skull,
Coliseum - No Salvation, Cathedral - The Carnival
Bizarre, Napalm Death - Smear Campaign, Morbid Angel
- Blessed Are the Sick, Red Sparrowes - Every Red
Light Shines Towards A Red Heart, Earth - The Bees Made
Honey In The Lion's Skull, Warhorse - As Heaven Turns To
Ash, Lazarus Blackstar - Funeral Voyeur, Today Is The
Day - In The Eyes Of God & Temple Of The Morning Star,
Om - Conference Of The Birds, Unsane - Scattered,
Smothered, And Covered, Rainbow - Rising. There's
just a slice of what I’ve been listening to!
- What’s next for Black Sun? Upcoming plans?
(RMcE) It’s fantastic
that Unsound NYC have invited us over to play with Nadja, Steve
Moore and Menace Ruine on Halloween 2008 and James Plotkin
(Khanate/Khlyst) will also DJ that night. I’ve applied Black Sun
to showcase at SXSW 2009 in Austin Texas and I think Roadburn
2009 with Neurosis and St Vitus will be the high points of the
spring. We’re all working hard promoting Paralyser and it’s
showing signs of success already. It’s really encouraging to
receive positive feedback from fans and press and we’re all
looking forward to recording the next album.
- Any last words for the readers of Deaf Sparrow?
RIP YOURSELF OPEN SEW
YOURSELF SHUT.
Main Photo by
Esther
Segarra
Check out Black Sun’s Tour Dates at their
MySpace Page here. |
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