Acherad’s debut album The Perpetual Katabasis blends traditional black metal with subtle death metal influences, reflecting raw intensity and transformation. Here, they share insights on its themes, creative process, and unique sound.
1.
Congratulations on the upcoming release of The Perpetual Katabasis! Can you
tell us about the concept behind the album and how the title reflects its
themes?
G: Thanks
for the interview. There isn’t one central theme in the album. Long story,
short: I wasn’t doing well in many aspects of life during the creation process
and that's why I decided to name the album “The Perpetual Katabasis.”
J: Yeah,
there’s no thought-out concept as such, but it’s still easy to see the idea of
Katabasis somehow present in all the songs. The act of descending, transforming
etc.
2.
You’ve described the album as a blend of traditional black metal with subtle
death metal influences. How did you strike the balance between aggression,
melody, and atmosphere in this debut?
J: We have
a wide range of musical backgrounds in the band, and each one brought something
of their own to the arrangements. The combination of rawness and melancholy is
what struck me in black metal in the first place a long time ago, musically,
and I tend to write that sort of music myself. Harsh at times, melodic at
times. This together, for example, with the death metal influenced drumming is
what makes the Acherad sound.
3.
Finnish black metal has a long and storied history. How do you feel Acherad
fits into or challenges the Finnish black metal scene with The Perpetual
Katabasis?
G: I’ve
never thought about this; it’s not relevant. We don’t have any goals to
challenge the scene or concerns about fitting into anything.
4. The
album is said to take listeners on a raw, atmospheric journey through darkness.
Can you walk us through the recording process, and how you captured the raw
intensity of your sound?
J: We
recorded the album in various places, often so that whoever was playing also
did the recording. Much of the intensity must come from the organic nature of
everything, it’s not overly edited etc. I think we managed to create a very
fitting sound that is clear enough, but definitely not too polished.
5. You
worked with Teemu Iso-Kulmala at Wavecrawler Audio for mastering. What was it
like collaborating with him, and how did his input shape the final sound of the
album?
G: I’ve
worked with him before with my other band, Kyy. It’s always a plus to work with
someone you’ve collaborated with previously; you know what to expect, and the
risks involved are very low. I can only say that he’s a committed professional
who knows what he’s doing.
6. With
tracks 3, 4, and 7 being composed by J.S., how did the songwriting process work
within the band? Did each member bring their own musical ideas to the table?
G: J.S. was
our original guitarist when we founded the band. Then J.H. joined as the second
guitarist, J.R. as the bassist, and M.K. as the drummer. Back then, J.R.
contributed more songs, but J.S. had to prioritize other things in his life and
eventually left the band. J.R. became the main songwriter, with J.H. and M.K.
adding their own touches to the songs. We also decided to include J.S.'s songs
in the album with his approval.
7. The
album artwork and the inlay designs by Mika K. and Entitatem Null Arts are
striking. How do the visual elements of The Perpetual Katabasis enhance the
overall experience of the album?
G: I've
known Mika for some years now and had seen some of his artwork before; I really
like his style. I asked if he would be interested in contributing his art to
our album. After listening to the album and reading the lyrics, he came up with
what we have as the cover art.
I
discovered Entitatem Null Arts through my good friends Zvijer, a Serbian band
that released a kick-ass album this year. I noticed that Entitatem Null Arts
had created some artwork for their album. After checking his other works, I
asked him if he would be interested in doing calligraphy for the album's
lyrics. It’s fair to say that Entitatem Null Arts puts 100% of his spirit into
his creations.
We are very
satisfied with the work of both artists. The front cover symbolically reflects
the album's themes but does so in a straightforward way for those who have eyes
to see.
8. The
album has drawn comparisons to black metal heavyweights like Mayhem, Marduk,
and Behexen. How have these influences shaped your music, and what new elements
does Acherad bring to the genre?
J:
Influences are mostly not that conscious or intentional, but of course the
bands that are important to you somehow shape the music you make. These three
have surely influenced us to some extent, but so have many others of course.
I’m not that concerned about bringing “new elements to the genre”, but I do think
that we have created a unique sound out of old elements. I can’t think of a
band that would sound exactly like Acherad.
9. Your
lyrics delve deep into dark and profound themes. Can you shed light on the
lyrical inspirations for the album and the collaboration with Benek Babalon?
G: We have
known each other with Benek Babalon for some years now, and we’re good friends.
I've been following his work for a while, and he occasionally sent me some of
his poems. I really liked them, as they perfectly captured what I was trying to
achieve lyrically with this album. It was very generous of him to contribute
his poems for the album.
For the
rest of the lyrics, I drew inspiration directly from life, hypocrite humankind,
some mythology and history.
10. What
do you hope listeners will take away from The Perpetual Katabasis, and how do
you see Acherad evolving in future releases?
G: Life is
a long lesson - you either learn and grow stronger, or you keep repeating the
same mistakes and end up destroying yourself.
Only time
will tell where we’ll go from here; there are no promises. We plan to play some
shows in Finland in 2025 and see how things progress from there.
J: I hope
the album makes you bang your head and also gives you food for thought.
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