Welcome to MHF Magazine. It’s an honour to interview the Tasmanian Devil!
How’re you doing?
-I’m well. Thanks for the interview.
First of all, big congrats on becoming a dad and tons of love to Dorian from the biggest Metal army in the universe!
-Thank you. He’s not yet 2 years old and is already a weapon. Remember his name, he’ll do something great.
You created “ThrOes” as an one man Avant Garde black metal project in December 2003 and released your first four track promotional demo “Drowning Rituals” in 2005. What inspired you for ThrOes? Tell us about “Drowning Rituals”.
-I had a band for a couple of years and became dissilusioned with where it was going. I wanted to move in a different direction creatively and I didn’t want to be dependant on other people in order to make the ideas come to fruition. I wrote a riff that was very different than the sort of stuff we were playing ijn my old band. From there I kind of developed my style and it really hasn’t changed much since then. It’s less doom oriented now, and has a lot more really heavy rock grooves amidst all the extreme vocals and hypnotic atonal melodies. It’s a lot more animated and mature. It was always going to be this way. I call what I’m doing “Dissident Metal” for various reasons I’ve written about in numerous places already. It was a lot more simpler in the beginning because I was still figuring out how I wanted to structure this music, what I wanted to do with the vocals, and I was stuck on a drum machine for years while I developed the music. This was another reason why it took so long to write, produce and finish the debut “This Viper Womb”, which has recently been released by Aesthetic Death in the UK. The drum machine was soul sucking to me and I found it very hard to summon up the motivation to demo the material and develop it fully. I also had a lot of stuff going on in my life during the decade since I started writing the first material for ThrOes. The Drowning Rituals was a 3 song e.p with an unlisted 4th track, which is actually the 10th track on ‘This Viper Womb” titled “D.N.A Corruption”. That piece was written and produced in 2004, and was remixed through analogue equipment in 2014. There are other riffs from that e.p that are already re-worked into new material forthe second album. The e.p was limited to 50 copies and was for promotional means only, being sent to friends, labels and other industry types. There was interest from a couple of labels. Aesthetic Death was one of them so I’ve known Stu on and off for over a decade, and here we are with him answering the call to bring the debut to the world in 2016 and he’s done a fantastic job. He delievered on all my demands and did as much as he could for the release. The digipack is wonderful quality and very unique looking, as is the artwork as a whole, and as is the music. This is not a typical metal album, especially not in 2016. I thank Stu for taking the chance on it. I’m 100% satisfied with what I have produced, how it turned out and what the label brought to life physically and I will put this album up against any other released this year happily.I’m thankful to feel that way and am eager for more of the world to know it exists. Spread the word!
There’s a considerable time gap between the releases of “Drowning Rituals” and “This Viper Womb”. Was the project in a hiatus?
-Pretty much. Life just wasn’t conducive of me being able to consistently work on the material and produce it the way I wanted, so I had to exercise will and patience and wait for the appropriate time to make the album exactly as I had planned since the beginning. January 2012 was that time, so I started then, which was also my honeymoon. I didn’t stop until October 2014. I took all of 2015 off because I was exhausted from the long production and some other very serious events that had entered my life. I went back to work January 2016, completed the master myself and did some initial promotion. Made the deal with Aesthetic Death and the album was released in July this year.
In your phenomenal new project “This Viper Womb”, you along with James Ludbrook and Kevin Talley offered the scene a masterpiece influenced by your trademark dissident views. How was your experience of working with them?
-Thank you. Well, as you say they are very much my dissident views. On the metal scene, on the state of the arts, on the state of spirituality at the expense of cultural capitsalism. All of my material is very autobiographical. It speaks directly of specific events that have happened in my life, and lyrics address some specific people directly, even me prediciting future events when I wrote the lyrics back in 2009. My predicitions came true. My work also deals with how I observe, feel, and process archetypal energies. We all have had dealings with people in our lives that embody these classic archetypes, examples being things like vampires, opportunists, false prophets, know it all’s who actually don’t know shit and who’s life experience is actually extremely limited, ego
maniacs, cry babies and weaklings. As far as my experience working with James and Kevin. Everything about making this album was torturous and the drum session and additional vocal tracks were no less easy. Their performances are worth any amount of discomfort working this way may have caused me. They both understood what I was asking from them and were both able to interpret this through their own creative styles that they are both known for. They’re both capable of moving and memorable performances.
What inspired you for “This Viper Womb”? Some hint about the secret message rumoured to be printed somewhere in the packaging? Will you be doing this little treasure hunt for upcoming albums too?
-I needed to process some areas of my life, my thoughts and world view through this artfrom, and ThrOes was the vehicle I created to do so. My inspiration to make the album was nothing more than a deep feeling of obligation to myself, and to my family that I had to make it. My wife Kristy was heavily involved in the whole process and has been around it since I started it in 2003. Yes, there is a secret message. A very intelligent friend of mine found it instantly which still gives me the biggest sense of satisfaction. She’s a clever “cookie” indeed. Whether I do anything like that again in future releases, who knows?
In the starting of “Permanent Midnight”, words from the lecture “Culture and ideology are not your friends” by Terrance McKenna can be heard. What are your thoughts regarding the same?
-Terence Mckenna is one of the greatest minds to have blessed our times. If you listen to his words I sequenced together from that talk, and listen to how it builds into the point of violent explosion in the music, I think most people can figure out for themselves what my thoughts are regarding his thoughts. I did choose to open my debut album with them after all.
You have fused black, death, industrial, doom and progressive elements in your project. Are you guys fond of these genres?
-I can only speak for what I am fond of musically, and among the heavier forms of music, yes I am fond of the best examples of all the genres you mention. I also listen to much music that has nothing to do with metal at all.
The ninth track “Feed it” is a harmonious, black metal inspired chant. What are your views on the modern day black metal scene?
-I don’t have any views on it. I don’t really know who is involved in it. The best stuff I’ve heard lately is Tera Tenebrosa “The Reverses” which is a killer album, and Cobalt’s new album “Slow Forever” which is an intersting mix of U.S black metal, americana, and 90’s alternative rock ideas. It’s a great album. Erik did a great job doing it all himself (something I can easily appreciate) and Charlie’s vocals are totally sick. They are touring the U.S right now so like their page and look out for dates if they are passing through your area. The early Cobalt stuff with Phil is great too.
ThrOes is known as the Tasmanian devil of Extreme Metal. Share your views on the local scene. Are there any other artists that inspired you in any way?
-No, I’m not inspired by anyone here at all. But the local scene is doing well as far as I know. The best bands from here are Psycroptic, Ruins, Departe, Mekigah. Psycroptic and Mekigah have recently released albums and Ruins and Departe are about to release their newest attacks. Check em out.
You are the sole force that drives ThrOes, handling everything from vocals to instruments on your own. Do you plan on continuing the same?
-Yes, I see things developing in the same direction as far as that goes. ThrOes is me 100%.
At last, wishing you all the best of luck for the future on behalf of the MHF army. Leave a message for your fans!
-Thanks very much, and thank you for the interview. “This Viper Womb” is a unique album. It will take you to places most metal albums just can’t do. It’s very original sounding, and emotionally very challenging. This album gets better and better as time goes on as it is so layered. You can buy the stunning digipack directly from www.throesofficial.com or www.aestheticdeath.com
You can also stream the whole album on YouTube in full HD quality with lyrics for every song animated over high res art. Check it out here and share it with like minded friends.
by Shibalika Tamuli
“ThrOes – This Viper Womb full album with lyrics”
