Chris Black is not human. I am convinced. The man must not require much time to eat or sleep. Between drumming for Pharoah, doing bass and vocals in Superchrist, producing Nachtmystium's albums and writing 95% of the lyrics, and my personal favorite of his projects, Dawnbringer. If you haven't checked out last years amazing Nucleus I would recommend doing so immediately.
Between Dawnbringer, Pharaoh, Superchrist, writing lyrics for
Nachtmystium and producing their records, when the hell do you find time
to sleep? Do you ever find it hard to separate some of the projects?
I sleep a lot, actually. The older I get, the more I have to take
care of myself. I can't get away with abusing my body the way I could
in my 20s. And yeah, it is getting a bit harder to separate things
simply because I'm getting busier. I recorded four albums in 2010 and
also did about 30 shows. I have to be able to switch gears quickly.
Being focused on my longer term goals helps keep my energy high. Also,
regardless of the project, I am always part of a team, and I know
everyone else will be ready to rock. So that also motivates me to be
prepared. Pacing myself, that's the short answer. I pace myself.
Every album has sounded different, but each being a progression from
the last. But there has been an ongoing theme with that one acoustic
riff being worked into every LP since the "Sacrament" ep. What is the
significance behind this particular riff? Is there some sort of
emotional attachment? Is that the riff that brings the dawn?
Actually, you've guessed it. I never thought of any connection to
the band name, but that riff, yeah, it literally came from a dream.
Ironically, though, it only varies on "In Sickness and In Dreams". It's
got the same atmosphere, but it is a completely different part. And on
the new album, we actually recorded it again. Everywhere else, it's the
recording from "Sacrament" manipulated in different ways.
This time around, NWOBHM takes control of the record, and I mean that
in the best possible way. I hear hints of Angel Witch and a decent dose
of Helloween as well. If it werent for the perfect flow of the album and
the catchy as hell riffs, one would not even know they were listening to
the same band that crafted "In Sickness And In Dreams". Was this the
intention?
Not really. I would say that there was a stronger direction for "In
Sickness.." The new album was a "let the metal flow" approach by
comparison, haha! I do love Angel Witch and Helloween, although I'm not
sure exactly where you're hearing the influences specifically. They've
always been in play though. The most Helloween-ish thing I've ever
written was originally for Dawnbringer but ended up in the Pharaoh song
"Slaves".
There is also a band called Nightbringer, are they your mortal enemy
like Dayman vs. Nightman on It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia?
that's not true. I saw the show a few times and thought it was a
typically unfunny modern-day sitcom.
A few years back there was talk about doing a reissue of "Catharsis
Instinct" with a bonus WASP cover? Is this still going to happen, and
what WASP cover did you do? Also, are there any plans to release any of
your albums on vinyl on the near future? I feel the vinyl format would
be ideal to enhance the experence of these albums.
Not sure about vinyl. There has been some interest, especially with
the new album, but I'm not sure it has been strong enough yet for
Profound Lore to pull the trigger. The story with Catharsis Instinct is
this. A few years ago, I got the rights back from the deadbeat label
that released it. Battle Kommand wanted to reissue it, but I wanted to
actually remix it first, because I think it could be greatly and pretty
easily improved on. So as I was puttering around with that idea, Battle
Kommand stopped operating, and it's been on the back burner ever since.
We did "The Headless Children", and it wasn't so hot, so it got left
off. I'm not sure a remix would even help. (editor's note: the album has since been issued on vinyl through Profound Lore)
It has been fucking ages since there has been a live performance from
Dawnbringer, yet Superchrist and Pharaoh seem to do a fair share of
sporadic gigs. What inspired the decision to make this a studio project?
It was never practical for this to be a live band. We tried, but
the songs were difficult, there were too many guitar parts, and we never
had the right people in the right places at the right times. However,
the new album seems to lend itself better to a typical metal band on a
typical stage. We are playing in Chicago in March, and if it goes well,
I will be open to further shows. If not, that door will probably be
closed forever.
Between all your projects I don't imagine you have the time to work a
full time job, but I could be wrong. Do you find it difficult have metal
be your main source of income (which for me is a dream)? What are the
pros and cons to this lifestyle?
The only con is that there isn't much money left after expenses. It
can also be awkward trying to explain my profession to people who don't
know anything about the business. Everything else about it kicks ass.
You also run your own indie label, Planet Metal, what releases can we
expect under that banner in the near future?
Next is Quicksand Dream's "Aelin" album, which was recorded in 1999
but never came out, and then a reissue of the first Sauron album, with
some extra (and extra-violent) tracks. 2011 will bring a few surprises.
I need to repress Superchrist "South of Hell" at some point too.
The lyrics on "In Sickness..." told a tale broken up in 2 stories, do
the lyrics to the new album hold any similar significance?
There's a theme, yes. It centers around not growing up. How at the
centers of ourselves, we will always be a child. So the songs are about
the consequences of living with that core: overindulging or ignoring the
vulnerabilities, anxieties, and uncertainties that it contains. The
adult self and child self have only one reconciliation -- and that is to
submit to the fact that they CAN'T be reconciled. They have to coexist
and give space to one another or disaster is inevitable. The first half
of the album deals with adult emotions in a child's voice, and vice
versa, with glimpses of harmony throughout. The tension rises to a
desperate boil in "All I See", and the final two tracks are pure
submission.
What are some new bands that our readers may not heard of that you
would recommend?
I have no idea. I like songs that make me feel like I've suddenly
woken up in an abandoned city. It's midnight, and I have until dawn to
achieve my goals. Try the songs "Dancing in the Ruins" by BOC or "Light
Up the Night" by Protomen to know what I mean. Even "Turbo Lover" gives
me that feeling. Mid-period Tad Morose. I really want to incorporate
some of the atmospheric elements of 80s rock in whatever I do next. I
don't like Def Leppard, but I want to experiment with the production
techniques of an album like "Pyromania". Next year I will find some
occasion to do so, whether with High Spirits, Dawnbringer, or perhaps a
solo album. I really just need to write the songs and see where they
take me. But I feel like I have lots of untapped influences from the
80s.
I've relied heavily on the 70s and 90s to this point. So, to answer
your question, Zuul.
Im going to list off a few random songs from the Dawnbringer catalog
and I would like you to put a brief statement about what each one means
to you, or any personal experiences this particular song may instantly
bring to mind
Cosmos Disease- Very similar to "Dressed in White" by King Diamond, lots
of "The Headless Children" album by WASP, etc. I love pretty much every
song with this basic feel and chord changes. I've written a handful
like
this: "Eat the Evidence", "Dark New Life", and I guess you could include
"So Much For Sleep".
There And Back- Total breakthrough, and probably the best song on that
album. Wish the ghostly vocal near the end was a bit louder though.
Blindman- The first song written for "Unbleed", originally meant to be
the first song on the album as well. I remember scoring it on my
then-new PC in my parents' basement in the days before I left for
college. The piano/acoustic outro was arranged on the spot during the
recording, and it's one of the fondest memories I have of that or any
recording session.
To me that passage is the musical embodiment of the album cover.
Pendulum- This song is a palindrome and represents the original concept
and title for the album that became "Nucleus". The plan was for the
entire album to be a palindrome, but the songs, and it must be said,
time constraints, decided otherwise. So this song is a miniature
version of the initial vision, and it's a bit of a compromise as such,
because some of the other musicians involved were disappointed when I
decided to abandon the palindrome form.
Shoot To Kill- Scott Hoffman plays some pretty nasty rhythm guitar on
this one, and it's also one of the first examples of more rock-based
structuring of the vocal patterns, particularly in the chorus. I'm not
sure it works, but other aspects of the song do. The drumming is pretty
interesting too. The song "You Know Me" from the new album is
connected.
Attack Of The Spiders- An exaggerated version of a real dream I had,
with spiders dropping from the ceiling. This is a good example of the
musical (and sometimes lyrical) playfulness in Dawnbringer.
Any last words or statements?
No, thanks, this was awesome. Cheers.
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