Alghazanth – “The reasons for continuing to channel energy through Alghazanth are still the same as when we started”

One of the old 90’s bands still going strong, Alghazanth have been writing down pages of blasphemy since 1995. Line-up changes and other malicious projects have not plodded their death march, as they have just released ‘Wreath of Thevetat,’ a symphonic Black Metal monument. With all incantations completed, let’s follow along the Left Hand path and see what vocalist/bassist Goat Tormentor has summoned up this time…

How are things going in the Alghazanth camp after releasing ‘Wreath of Thevetat’? How do you feel about it?
Things are going rather smoothly at the moment. We’ve done a couple of gigs in order to promote the new album and we have also started to work on new material as well. So, we’re definitely not just letting things slide. We are still very pleased with ‘Wreath of Thevetat’, even after 5 months after its release which is kind of unusual for us. Everything just clicked the right way this time around and the result is something we can be proud of. If we are to trust the reviews that have surfaced thus far, it seems that the album has stricken root in the hearts of many others as well. That’s always great to hear/see even though it doesn’t really affect our own thoughts about the album one way or the other.

What has everyone been up to during the four year time period between the new album and ‘The Polarity Axiom’?
A lot happened during this gap between the two albums. There were some major line-up changes as half of the musicians on ‘The Polarity Axiom’ ended up going separate ways with the band. This obviously meant loads of work for us because we had to find fresh blood to replace that which had departed and to get things re-organized. It wasn’t easy but it certainly was worth the pain because now we ended up having easily the strongest line-up in Alghazanth’s history. In addition to these adjustments to the legion itself, we we’re also without a rehearsal place for a whole year during this four year period. Needless to say that slowed us down a bit. Even though we faced all these obstacles, we we’re never inactive. We just we’re a bit slower than usual but still keeping our eyes on the materialization of a follow-up to ‘The Polarity Axiom’.

How has the reaction been with the new album so far?
The reactions have varied quite a lot as some seem to praise it and some don’t like it because it’s too melodic, not old-school enough etc. In other words, it just isn’t up their alley, you know. Mainly the response has been very positive indeed. We’ve received some amazing reviews with 10/10 ratings but in my honest opinion the best feedback has come from people that couldn’t have cared less about our previous works but who now say that the new album has just blown them away. That tells us we’ve certainly managed to become reborn as a band after all these struggles in the past.

The music is better than ever before, in my opinion, and the album has very interesting cover art; care to explain its meaning and the meaning behind the title ‘Wreath of Thevetat’?
I don’t want to go too deep into explaining the title or the artwork because I want everyone to draw their own conclusions about all that. I can reveal some bits and pieces, though. According to esoteric legends Thevetat was one of the kings of Atlantis. He was born with the gnosis of the gods rather than being initiated into it. Under the leadership of this inborn adept the magickians of Atlantis took the path of Black Magick resulting in the eventual submergence of the whole island system. In this light, the title of the album hints at the legacy of this ‘pioneer’ which is at the disposal of everyone who desires to venture into the Darker Side of existence. This path is very dangerous and full of hardship but at the same time it is the path of the kings to come. This is the Left Hand Path and we tread it knowing that it may lead us to either godhood or to destruction. The cover art supports this idea very strongly but I will leave it up to you all to figure that out for yourselves.

I’ve heard that the name ‘Alghazanth’ came from a dream. What does the name mean?
That’s correct, I received the name in a dream around the time we we’re starting up the band. Alghazanth is the name of a death-bringer spirit that appeared to me in the shape of a talking white wolf telling me that I have one important task to complete before it would be my time to go with him to the realms beyond. I took this as a message from my Master and I’m still on the path of fulfilling this mission.

Does the band often use such supernatural sources like this for inspiration?
We draw our inspiration from wherever we can. Sometimes it can be a rather mundane thing like anger or the beauty of some landscape and other times it can be a dream loaded with occult meaning, a vision of the same sort or an experience that raises you above the normal dayside consciousness. Whatever gives us the right impulse at the right time, that’s where the inspiration comes from.

You started over a decade ago, so have the reasons to keep the band going changed any over the years?
The reasons for continuing to channel energy through Alghazanth are still the same as when we started. So no, the main agenda hasn’t changed one bit. We are still expressing our passion for Darkness through the medium of Black Metal in order to both feed ourselves with this black energy and to infect others as well with the disease that can turn a slave into a god.

You’ve had a lot of lineup changes. Care to share why and explain whether this or anything else ever made the band think about coming to an end?
You’re right, we have had a lot of changes with the line-up. Nonetheless, these have been necessary adjustments and not once has the thought of quitting crossed our minds when we’ve faced such challenges. We feel strongly that we still have more to give and more to do so as long as this feeling persists Alghazanth will keep on polluting the air of our terrestrial sphere. When the mission is complete, Alghazanth will ascend back to the subtler planes from whence it came.

With Goat Tormenter also from the doom styled Swallow the Sun, do you feel that he brings some of that into Alghazanth’s music?
I honestly think that the questions should be rephrased as ‘How much has Goat Tormentor’s Black Metal background influenced the doom styled music of Swallow the Sun?’ I mean, he has grown up listening to and playing Black Metal but became caught in the doom/death net as well a couple of years ago when they formed StS. So, to answer your question, there are zero StS influences on the new Alghazanth album. At least when it comes to Goat Tormentor bringing ideas from their rehearsal place into ours. Other not-so-conscious influences are possible since everything we listen to affects us on some level and we all do enjoy listening to Swallow the Sun amongst others.

How do musical influences differ throughout the band and do you feel that shows on the new album?
It’s kind of hard to start dissecting all of our musical influences because each and every band we listen to leaves a mark of some sort on our conscious and subconscious minds. But yeah, apart from the keyboard arrangements, the new album was composed entirely by our guitarists Grimort and Thasmorg so I guess it’s their preferences that shine through the most. Grimort is mainly into Norwegian and Slavonic Black Metal with a bit more folkish elements in it. Thasmorg, on the other hand, is more of a guy of the early 90’s bowing to Burzum and the like but he also happens to be an Iron Maiden fanatic and a friend of heavier guitar work in the vein of Bolt Thrower, Evocation and other mid-paced Death Metal groups. What comes to the keyboard arrangements composed by Ekholm, I can safely say he has heard a couple of Emperor albums some time during his life… I think these are the biggest influences that you may pick from our album. But then again, what do I know, hah.

Many have described your music as having too much of a mainstream sound, comparing you to Dimmu Borgir with the production and melodic/symphonic aspects, but you are obviously not a mainstream band. What do you have to say about that?
I personally can’t wrap my head around this comparison which seems to arise in almost every review and interview. Ok, I get it that we do have some similarities when it comes to the keyboard performance but I can’t see how this automatically draws an equation mark between us and Dimmu Borgir. I also realize that this association springs to mind quite easily with ‘Osiris-Typhon Unmasked’ and occasionally with ‘The Polarity Axiom’ as there are some passages in them in the same vein as those of these Norwegians. But with ‘Wreath of Thevetat’..? I simply don’t get it. I don’t mean to sound like I’m whining and bitching about this like a bitter old maid but it just makes me wonder whether people actually hear so strong DB-influences on the new album or is it a kind of ‘synths = Dimmu Borgir’ -mentality at play here.

What comes to the actual production side of our albums I have to point out that ‘increasingly good’ doesn’t mean ‘increasingly clear and clinical’. The production on ‘Wreath of Thevetat’ is quite far from being mainstream and over-polished. In my opinion, it is by far the best we have accomplished because it has edge to it, it is dynamic and it has both rawness and clarity. All in all, it supports the song material almost perfectly and this is the very point that makes the production ‘good’ in this case.

Do you think that the increasingly good production of your albums is changing your fan-base?
Yes, this has changed our fan-base (if you allow such an expression) to some extent. I mean, people who are more into primitive and underground Black Metal have disliked our previous works due to their clearer production but now with the new album this has totally changed. I am compelled to agree with them in the sense that the sounds and all that have ruined a lot on the older albums when it comes to the feeling and atmosphere of the songs. This time we managed to capture also the raw and aggressive side of the songs, thus making the outcome ‘more Black Metal’ than before, so to say.

Speaking of which, what do you think about the more ‘mainstream’ Black Metal bands versus the underground ones?
Even though I do listen to some more mainstream-oriented stuff (such as Keep of Kalessin and the like), there’s no question which end of the spectrum I prefer more. It is a simple fact that when production is topnotch a lot of the original atmosphere vital to the essence of Black Metal gets lost in the process. Triggered drums, polished guitars and too clean sounds just don’t do it for me. I may enjoy such a record as a good metal album flirting with Black Metal but when I want to sink deep into the blackness of satanic and otherworldly emotions, it’s ‘underground’ Black Metal that I turn to. As strange as it may sound to some, no ‘mainstream’ band can resonate with the very core of my beliefs and the darker passions deep within.

How would you describe your music? Would you say that your sound is closer to other Finnish Black Metal bands or to bands from other countries?
I’d say that musically as well as soundwise Alghazanth is closer to the Norwegian and Swedish scenes of the mid and late 90’s than to the current Finnish one. There are lots and lots of bands here that lean heavily to the direction of more primitive and minimalistic approach and in this light Alghazanth stands pretty much alone on the island of majestic Black Metal.

I see that you have played some shows to promote ‘Wreath of Thevetat’ so how do you feel about live shows?
Performing live is simply intoxicating when everything goes well and the crowd is enthusiastic. But, as one might expect, it is close to being agonizing when for example you are performing to a nearly empty venue or the sounds are so fucked up that you can’t hear shit of what you or the other guys are playing etc etc. All this put aside, I think that live shows are really important when it comes to spreading and maintaining the essence of Black Metal and the ideology that underlies it. A good Black Metal gig can be a truly spiritual experience for both the performer and for the person that receives all this. I have been privileged enough to experience both of these roles and they indeed can be devastating in the most positive sense of the word.

Does the audience seem to know the new material?
I’m not sure how well people know the new material but at least some seem to have learned it pretty damn thoroughly because I’ve seen a couple of people in the front row shouting all the lyrics to our new songs. It’s a strange feeling to notice something like that in the middle of the set.

Thank you for the interview. Anything else you wanted to say?
Thank you a lot for your interest in our horde, it’s been a pleasure answering to these questions of yours. Ecrin Saitan!