New Necro – Interviews with Salute/Swine & Code/Blutvial

Interview by Inquisitor

We live in strange, bleak, bottomless times. Look around you and you must notice that the world seems to be vomiting out its rejection of humanity by way of plague and natural disaster. Meanwhile homo sapiens, the ‘advanced’ ape being, continues to fuck up its very own existence through pointless wars, atrocities, financial greed, exploitation, terror etc etc.

In these islands, long since ravaged and misled by the contagion of Christianity and other destructive religious ideologies, the musical underworld acts as by far the best gauge of the horrors surrounding us, and the horrors to come. We have produced some of the world’s best musical commentators of our own demise in the likes of Sabbath, Killing Joke, Venom, Cathedral, Electric Wizard and Ramesses, all of whom continue to exert a massive influence on a very receptive audience to this day. But what of the new generation of underground metallers? What do they make of the seismic upheavals taking place in the world, and what do they make of the future?

Salute, Swine, Blutvial and Code are not part of any idiotic metal scene. They are independent spirits who bring forth the darkness in the music they create in a way that sounds more urgent, angrier and perhaps even more despairing than that of their predecessors. Salute are pure necro rock n roll with a bitter, nasty aftertaste while their offshoot, Swine, have created one of the best British black metal albums released to date. Aort of Blutvial and the highly acclaimed Code takes a more philosophical, ‘Black Metal’ approach to the disintegrating environment around us, preferring to let the music do the talking. But one thing unites both camps – musical brilliance and an uncompromising approach to making it. And talking to them about their view of things was as unique as it was enlightening. See for yourselves….

Interview with Tom Swine – Salute/Swine

Inquisitor: First of all hearty congratulations on The Underground. I thought that was one of last year’s real highlights. When did you start writing material for it, and was there any particular inspiration or influence that drove it along?

Tom Swine: We started writing for this one around late 2006, even though Above the Law wasn’t released till July 2007!! Carried on, on and off throughout 2007 and we recorded in late 2007/early 2008. When writing, the music came out darker, nastier, groovier, and heavier. That became the underlying mood throughout this slab.

I: How did you go about achieving that really dirty necro sound? Was a lot of it, the vox included, driven by substance abuse?!

TS: I don’t need to be drunk whilst doing vocals. Some of the best were done in the afternoon sober, although there are no windows in the studio so it could’ve be anytime! Having said that, the majority were done late at night SMASHED in, as this has always been the way of the ‘Lute!

I: It seems like a big progression from the debut release, how happy were you as a band with it?

TS: VERY, and yes it was a step up from ‘Above…’ BUT, it all wraps up. Our first E.P/demo was black and bleak, then we moved on as we wanted

to turn the bpm down and get on with what we really felt which was GROOVE. So, The Underground ended up a mixture of the two previous recordings. BLEAK GROOVE!! Write that on yer pencil purse!!

I: I can sense that you’re influenced by bands like Killing Joke – a band I’ve been into for a long time. How important are they to you as a source of musical and thematic inspiration?

TS: I can’t hear that on the last recordings but it’s defiantly here now. We’re influenced by -

Killing Joke – First 3 for dark matter and madness

Tangorodrim (RIP)

Mark E Smith and John Martyn – For Sense of humour and longevity!!! DEDICATOR!!

I: Clearly your sound, your approach and so on draws from Black Metal? How much has Black Metal influenced Salute? And which particular artists?

TS: It kicked us off for sure, 80′s bands and a few old school buggers from the 90′s were on our mix tapes back 10 years or so. Venom, Celtic Frost/Hellbanger, Show Me The Wrath, The Throne….

I: I’d like to turn to Swine for just a moment. Marked by the Baron was for my money the best release by any British Black Metal artist to date. What was the history of that release? How long did it take to write and record?

TS: Took a week of thinking on and off and 5 days to write and record, in cold winter with freezing hands and red light bulbs everywhere. Simple times. It had to be done. It’s great hearing you say that and for sure it makes me proud but it could have been better. More rotten, but whatever.

I: Are you planning a follow up soon? If so, what sort of sound and approach will you be looking for on the follow up?

TS: Maybe.  If I did another it’d be more organic and slower in parts. Get more drunk… THE GOAT COAT IS WAITING………

I: What’s your view of contemporary metal? A lot of people, me included, who are heavily Black Metal influenced tend to distance ourselves from metal proper because it’s so sub standard. Is this something you agree with?

TS: Yeah it’s shit but that doesn’t matter because 90 percent of everything commercial and present day is crap and useless anyway. Just look back for music and inspiration, take that and create something GRINDING. That’ll inevitably out shadow the new wave of this and that in the end! Take the new UK Thrash scene for example… WHAT’S THAT???

I: Are you at all driven by occult ideas or practises? Swine in particular seems to carry that influence quite markedly…

TS: Swine just took the soul of Von for inspiration and drunken dreams of hell on earth. None of us lot actually practice anything apart from the following of old scripts from hard livers with hard livers!!!! (M.E.S/ M.B)

I: I see you cite Motorhead as a big influence. Would you tour with them if the offer came? Do you think Lemmy has stayed totally true to himself?

TS: For sure haha, imagine Salute playing huge indoor venues with tonnes of dry ice and red lights. Wouldn’t go down well at all with the old dads. GOOD!!! Lemmy’s stayed true, he’s still recording and touring constantly. He comes from a time when being in a band meant you played music not just for the soul but for a job/way of life. But he aint sitting in his big mansion counting his bottles evian!! I’d rather yer man Dee wasn’t on drums though.. Too tight.

I: What’s next for Salute? A new release, some more gigs?

TS: A new slate coming later this year (hopefully!!!) and shows around the UK finishing up with the LIVE EVIL fest at the Camden Underworld in October!! Now THAT will be a proper celebration for SURE AAAAWWWWOOOUUUSEEEEEE UUGH UGUUUG!!!!!

Salute are sex, drugs and necro personified. The Underground was in my opinion one of the best British releases of recent times, and I personally can’t wait till the new one drops, or for that matter until Swine give birth to the next instalment of Marked by the Baron. Tom, when you read this, you’re one crazy hombre. Hailz to you brother…

Aort, inspired song writer in chief for both Blutvial and the highly esoteric  Code is a rather more understated character, with a penchant for minimalist classical music and jazz. Hardly the tastes associated with full on Black Metal, or are they? I asked him what he thought about the modern world and how he conveyed his views of it sonically.

Interview with Aort – Blutvial/Code

Inquisitor: What are the big influences on the sound and approach of Blutvial? Are you inspired by the early BM bands from Norway like Mayhem and Darkthrone?

Aort: Blutvial obviously has a lot of roots in early 90s black metal but i wouldn’t go as far as to name too many specific bands.  We very much focus on the aggression and violent feel of black metal rather than any more avant-garde or romantic elements of the genre.  It is impossible to write music in this style without some elements of Mayhem or Darkthrone’s music finding their way in there as their influence is so far reaching and Norway’s impact in general was so strong around that time.  A lot of time has passed since then but we still strive to capture that feeling of pitch darkness, not necessarily in a nostalgic way but because the power of that feeling is still as relevant today as it was in 1993.

I: How long did it take to fully develop the guitar sound you’ve used so effectively with Code and Blutvial? Did you have a specific type of sonic effect in mind, or did it just emerge naturally?

A: With Code, the it is the way the guitar is played more than the sound itself that is really important.  We can play through many rigs and it will still sound as it should as the chords we use and the way they are played are quite distinctive.  With Blutvial the guitar sound itself is a lot more important as the reference points for this kind of music are littered with very distinct and un-replicable guitar sounds, as they were usually achieved purely by accident.  Getting the guitar sound right for the Blutvial was very important as the sound is such an important part of the feel of this style of music.  Of course our guitar sound on I Speak of the Devil isn’t exactly like same of those more obvious yardsticks in black metal as we achieved our particular potion with some unconventional techniques, but that feeling of vicious coldness is there I think.

I: I agree. What’s the fundamental difference in approach for you when writing riffs for Blutvial and Code? Is Code less obviously ‘necro’?

A: Blutvial is a lot more about tradition in black metal….trying to invoke those feelings of old, yet pushing forward in terms of aggression and delivery.  The reference points are more or less clear although of course being interpreted through myself and Ewchmylaen, they get twisted along the way and that’s where our sound is developed.
With code I try to steer clear of conscious reference points.  It is more of liberating way to compose in a way as I just experiment with as many different chord shapes and structures and not feel restricted by history as much.  I would say that code is a more accurate reflection of my own interpretation of music where as with Blutvial, there are more well defined goals to head for.

I: What sort of ideas underpin the lyrical and visual side of Blutvial? As you say the two bands are musically pretty distinct, so presumably this distinction is also reflected in lyrical themes etc?

A: The lyrics for Blutvial tend to be metaphorical in that a common theme is a call to the base element of existence, shedding of modernity and returning to the essence of life.  Raging Winds deals with this in terms of the means that would be required to practically force this change through widespread annihilation of the human race.  Our Hallowed Bones approaches this from a more classical viewpoint and relate a great deal to Milton’s Paradise Lost and the corruption of the soul from man’s abuse morality and its effect on how we exist in today’s world.

I: Does this connect then with Satanism? Or are you more influenced by other forms of ‘esoteric’ or occult themes?

A: It has little to do with religion at all, it is more to do with morality and basic principles.  Satan is a handy metaphor sometimes but it is not based on any religious themes, be they Judaeo-Christian based or occult based.  Personal speaking, religion tends to be used as a catch-all for the unexplainable and to give credence to people’s thoughts.  It is essentially improvable and therefore un-arguable to an extent.  Religion often waters down or inhibits true morality.

I: From what you say then, do you regard man’s existence as now totally pointless? This is a theme that particularly interests me….

A: In the grand scheme of things, of course man’s existence is pointless.  We bicker about carving our own existence on an insignificant dot in the corner of one of innumerable galaxies.  In those terms life can only possibly be deemed pointless.  Meaning and purpose comes from within the individual and each individual reasons with the environment in which he/she exists and perceives.  It is only through awareness that meaning can be given to anything else, and that meaning is always rooted in perception.  An individual’s existence is both utter pointless and vitally important.

I: How important is Nature to you? A lot of Black Metal draws references from the power of Nature of course, is this an important idiom for you whether with Code or Blutvial?

A: Personally, although nature is very important to me personally, it has very little effect on my music.  I prefer to focus more inwards rather than trying to capture the feel of some arbitrary postcard image, even if you do live there.  Music that has been overly influenced by nature can end up feeling as forced as any other source of inspiration and in honesty I sometimes think it is cited as an influence after the fact as an easy way out.  More interesting to me is how nature is reflected in the individual and that individual’s perception of nature.

I: In terms of contemporary black metal there are a lot of people complaining that it’s lost its way, or it’s lost its purpose. What do you think of these views?

A: It is easy to find good and bad in any genre at certain points in time.  To collectively say that it has lost its way is a little too simplistic for my liking.  Treating something as nebulous as a genre of music with such fuzzy boundaries as a single entity is futile.  It is putting too much emphasis on something which is not important.  The equation is simple, find the music you like, stick to it and discard that which you don’t.  For every band I hear that I don’t like I will generally find another that I do.  There are some constants of course….Profanatica can never do any wrong for me.

I: What about Metal in general? How much of it do you listen to?

A: I have been a massive metal fan for probably 22 or 23 years now.  Sure you go through phases as you grow, but time and experience is good for broadening musical horizons.  There are very few sub-genres in metal that I unilaterally dislike…I can usually find some examples that I find worth in.  Of course I lean towards some more than others but there I get so much from metal in general.  I am listening to a much more varied selection of music these days though.  Prog and folk from the 70s is a huge passion of mine and I am also dipping my toes into Jazz and minimalist classical music these days.  The more I hear the more I want to hear.

I: What does the future hold for Code and Blutvial? I get the feeling that with both projects you’ve only just begun to show your wares as it were. When do we hear and see more?

A:I am working on where to take code next at the moment.  I have written a number of songs which were taking code in perhaps a more commercial direction which may not be right for the ethos of code, so I am working on an alternative outlet for these at the moment which could be quite exciting for me.  As for the next code album, well I am going to take my time to make sure the next move is the right one.
There is a second Blutvial album written.  We are just fine-tuning the songs and then will work on recording it.  This will probably happen in the summer and we will probably self release it through www.haintic.com as we have had enough of apathy from labels.  If you want it doing right, you have to do it yourself.
I have a number of other projects that I am working hard on too….this year will be a very busy one for me.

So, there you have it. A first taste from this noble magazine of what jewels lie in the dank, murky waters of Britain’s musical underworld. Sure it ain’t pretty, but it gives you a perspective that the wankers who inhabit mainstream, glossy metal world will never be able to. You have been warned.

To be continued……

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Salute on Myspace,
Swine on Myspace
Code on Myspace
Blutvial on Myspace

by enos