Chris (Guitar) ‘Due to a deeper guitar tuning, more old-school-oriented riffing and a slightly harsher sound, Ethos is somewhat rawer and heavier. We used 7-string guitars for the first time and of course this automatically contributes to a heavier vibe.
Ethos is the next evolutionary step from Firtan. It further progresses the German entity’s visceral emotional energy that has made them such an aggressive driving force for over fifteen years. Their anger is tangible, immediate yet also an ever-evolving manifestation of progression and deep thought that has made them unique, original and uncompromising. The superb Ethos is a definitive statement yet also a heavier, deeper offering.
‘’We haven’t really thought about that in advance, so there was certainly no real plan to develop the sound in a graver direction. But in retrospective one could argue that the pandemic with all its consequences on culture but also on individuals made us even more contemplate on existentialist matters which automatically resulted in a grimmer, rawer songwriting and production process.
The immediacy of your music, are you aware of where this comes from and its visceral quality?
‘’We think it really depends on your personality what makes music ‘immediate’ or not. Fans of modern dance or electronic music would probably argue rather the opposite when it comes to our songs, but if you are into ‘non-conventional’ extreme metal, you just naturally respond to it immediately. So, the key to writing music that expresses ‘direct’ feelings or attitudes is an art that only those respond to who have similar feelings, notions and ideas. And these ideas are mainly concerned with the grimmer and darker side of the human species as well as of nature or the cosmos itself.
The addition of clean vocals and choirs to your black metal? something the music demanded and a need to continually progress?
‘’Well, adding some grains of clean vocals has been around from very early on in black metal, so we’d certainly never claim to be super progressive or avant-garde in this respect. However, we simply realised that it is a very obvious mean to add another fitting timbre to our songs. Although each instrument – including those vocals – have their share in generating an overall sound, they still all have their particular value and we would never use an instrument at random just because it seems trendy at the moment. So yes, here and there the music craves for clean vocals.
The ability to merge the brutal with haunting melody ...
''Again, this is a very subjective issue. For us, it is a deliberate choice to experiment within the vast spectrum of sounds and timbres and create contrasts and tensions that still complement each other. We would never just particular preferences, though. There are plenty of artists delivering utmost extreme sounds with barely any structures – and if you like it, you are free to do so, and nobody should claim absolute authority to judge you in this respect.
The gorgeous ‘’ Wenn sich mir einst alle Ringe schließen’’ is this an optimistic ending for the human condition and its closure?
‘’We’d rather agree with this thesis, yes. Especially at the beginning there’s plenty of tension, though, but it is gradually resolved in the course of the song. When listening closely, however, the synths at the very end could also be the ones from the beginning. So, it is up to your own ideas if you want it to be a teleological or a cyclical progression – both interpretations are valid and depending on which one you prefer, it can tell you a lot about yourself.
The reflection of emotion is represented by the shades and colours of your music. Does a feeling g inspire the music?
‘’Of course, feelings are always crucial – emotions for a musician are what ink is for a writer or paint for a painter. But as with colours, feelings are on a spectrum. Rage for example can be instantly evoked, leading to an obvious outburst. On the other hand, rage can dwell for a long time within you and focus on a more general, even primordial object. Ethos rather draws its power from the latter kind.
The juxtaposition of your music does this reflect the duality and emotions of life?
‘’This is only one aspect of the matter. Referring to dualities or dichotomies is a very handy way for us humans to structure reality just as it is quite obvious to us to create tension by juxtaposing sounds. However, there is not always black and white and if you are listening closely, you might sense some grey or purple now and then.
Is it part of the question if darkness vs light? Joy vs Despair?
‘’It definitely is, yes! But as suggested above, it is realistically rarely the case (except for some very few crucial moments) that an individual encounters only the absolute phenomenon at once. One obvious reason for this is that dichotomies are determined by each other (without light, no darkness etc.), so the one being the positive, there’s always its negative somewhere in the background. Our psyches seem very capable of understanding this circumstance and we’re therefore determined by a lot of different layers of those phenomena – sometimes right at the same time.
How do you define extreme music and why it is so vital to you? Is it a genre without limits?
‘’Our simple definition would be that it is music that is not supposed to be ‘beautiful’, ‘nice’ or ‘good’ in the conventional understanding. Of course, the ‘ugly’, ‘evil’ and ‘unpleasant’ features can also have positive nuances, and this is what extreme music is probably trying to achieve, namely creating something that appears to be chaotic and wild, but which is still a unity at the end. So ‘extreme’ could be quite synonymous with ‘paradoxical’ in this context. As this is quite an interesting notion, it is always a pleasure to experiment within this realm and that’s what makes it quite vital to us. There are certainly physical limits, though, as we are all limited by our human, physical condition. However, this should not prevent anybody from trying to progress any further.
Top six albums of all time?
Black Sabbath -Paranoid
Comments