1. When did you decide to put Kade Storm into operation? Why did you choose this name and what does it refer to?
The project began in the early 2000s, but it was very slow to develop in those early years. The choice of name is obviously eponymous, as I struggled to come up with something very distinct and original. As you know, with Extreme Metal, when it comes to artists, they tend to rely heavily on the macabre, mythology, fiction or even the occult to come up with alternative names. I've always been of the view that if one is going to do such, then one ought to know the subject they are embracing as a name, extremely well, and that's why I never quite adopted anything else other than who I am in name and person."
2. Although Kade Storm has been active since 2003, to date he has only released a couple of albums quite spaced apart in time, why is this lack of continuity when it comes to releasing music?
Unfortunately, I have this tendency to create a lot of unfinished and often unrealised ideas that I have to work my way through in order to have a fleshed out set of concepts that could then become albums. I've been stating recently that the 2014 release was largely a mistake, or at least not prepared correctly, and this is because it was predicated on older works that were inspired by older collaborations as opposed to my own personal vision. I've come to reject that album, which only makes the idea of Ascension being the first piece of work since I got started around 2003, even stranger. Paired with the fact that there have been a lot of other external commitments and events in my life in that time, it eventually took a fairly troubling personal event for this album to emerge. Perhaps this trend will change over the coming years.
3. Being only one person in charge of Kade Storm, how do you face the process of composing and recording your music? What is the biggest challenge you have had to face when taking this project forward? What brands instruments do you use to compose and record your music?
It can be a challenge, at least in terms of managing distractions and maitaining oversight of quality. I think the biggest impediment for me has been getting sidetracked from pursuing worthwhile ideas; I probably have over thirty tracks of entirely unfinished material. Much of it that will likely never be released, but serve as a point of personal reference.
In terms of equipment, I have a range of guitars from BC Rich, to Dean, Epiphone, Ibanez, Jackson, and other brands and a bass from Maverick. I use seven string guitars and five string bass guitars given the tuning utilised. For my recent work, I've primarily used a BC Rich 7 string Warlock with the Seymour Duncan Invader pickup along with a BC Rich 7 string JR V with the Dimarzio Crunchlab. For drumming, it'll either be something I've programmed using recorded samples from an old Pearl kit that I used many moons back, or a similar kit microphoned a certain way to sound cavernous, blunt and heavy; I like that heavier, thicker percussive tone from all the instruments as they align together. In terms of amplifiers, again, I have a number at my disposal, but my main ones for use are the Randall Diavlo RD100H, along with the Randall V2 and in minor points, a Peavey 6505+. I tend to run a modeller, for the boost, EQ and noisegate effects with the amplifiers.
4. Black Metal with a strong Doom Metal component would be a more or less accurate definition of your proposal, especially if we focus on the content of your latest album "Ascension", how would you define the style of your music for those who do not? Are you familiar with your proposal? What do you intend to convey to the listener with your music?
It is, fundamentally, in terms of atmosphere and thematic, Black Metal, but it defniitely stands heavily on a Doom and Death Metal foundation. In terms of conveyance; I merely seek to create a very dark world of soundscapes that, within them, relay a number of thoughts that are both personal but also highly open to each person to draw upon their own meaning. I prefer that listerners find themselves lost in this world and deriving their own interpretation and menaing from the work.
5. Unlike certain one-member black metal projects that are often open to collaborations, either to be able to offer a concert or simply to give another vision to their sound, Kade Storm remains firm in its line-up. Is Kade Storm such a personal project that it is not open to this type of collaboration? What elements and styles influence you when defining the sound of Kade Storm?
This project is primarily centred around my own vision and catharsis. If I ever lend my input to anyone, it's as an unnamed contributor for session work or the odd writing idea, at least that's been the case thus far. It is indeed a personal project, but there have been points in the past where I have considered collaborating with others for the project, it's just that such collaborations never quite panned out in terms of the ideas being fully finished. Even the previous album, which I've grown to reject, had a number of tracks that were derived from prior collaborations and one track that was co-written by another guitarist and vocalist I used to work with name Rob Cavalo, who was also the former co-guitarist of the Groove-Thrash band, Social Head Removal.
6. In your lyrics you deal with themes, let's say "conventional" within a style like black metal, why is this theme for your lyrics? Is the music composed based on the lyrics of the songs or vice versa?
Yes, the central theme is quite conventional to this style and paradigm of music. The music is based on the lyrical content and vice versa; there's substantial synergy between the two.
7. Who was in charge of designing the album cover, what does it represent and how does it relate to the content of the album?
The album cover was designed by Swedish artist, Dalila Belazi. She's done cover art for various Extreme Metal bands across the world, such as Profane Burial. However, in my case, her particular art work here was the perfect representation of the theme in question about the Fallen, the Fall and the Ascent.
8. The mixing and mastering of the album has been your responsibility. How do you decide to face this facet and what knowledge do you have to carry out this plan of your music?
I needed this entire process to be highly personal, as it all took place during an intense chain of arduous personal events in my life. I do have knowledge and experience in this area, but I also wanted to harvest a somewhat raw atmosphere within the production process.
9. “Ascension” was originally released in digital format, however with the passage of time it has also seen an edition in CD format by Narcoleptica Productions. How did you contact the record label to make this edition with them? Are you satisfied with the editing and promotion work carried out by Narcoleptica Productions? Do you consider this to be an important step for Kade Storm's career?
It was indeed originally just a digital release with no real promotion effort. Again, given the personal tribulations around this album, I was merely possesed and focussed on creating and producting the album, with no actual release plan or ideas on how to promote what was being released. To be honest, I wasn't in any frame of mind to deal with such matters. If anything, I just uploaded and it and then things just unfolded as they did. I was fortunate to have Andrey from Narcoleptica Productions take notice of the album and get in touch about possibly doing a limited CD run with which I am personally very satisfied. I also had a few PR companies such as Rogue PR and Against PR wanting to help, along with a good few European Alternative and Extreme Metal Magazines, such as Metalized from Denmark, as well as Orkus and Sonic Seducer from Germany, giving the album very honourable coverage via reviews and interviews.
10. Has the period of restrictions due to Covid-19 been a hard time for you when it comes to being able to record and offer music to the public? How did you experience that time as a band?
It wasn't too difficult, but again, given my particularly challenging circumstances, even the global situation was secondary to those events concerned. Yet I also had the personal leeway and equipment to manage much of this, even with the restrictions in question
11. London is a huge city, how would you describe the extreme metal scene of a city like the one it belongs to? How has this scene evolved over the almost twenty years that Kade Storm has been active?
I have been based in Skegness for a good few years now, so, I can no longer speak all that much to this question. Even when I was in London, I tended to operate in considerable isolation, or, if I was working on someone else's project, I'd maintain some anonymity as I prefer to let those projects and visions accomplish their own aims. As for the scene itself. London is one of the biggest hubs around; a lot of bands and ideas come and go through that city and I don't think that ever-changing atmosphere itself will ever change. Extreme Metal, though, will always have its own momentum regardless of locality, be it a village, town, city or metropolis.
12. How were your beginnings in music: first concerts you attend, first albums you buy? What happened in your life made you want to be a musician?
I think a lot of it was personal ideas and visions that I had to address through some means. I was also exposed to some of these soundscapes when I was very young, but then grew distant from them for a brief time only to return to it all a bit later. My earlier exposure was to various Thrash Metal and Extreme Metal bands and the more old-school British Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. That being said, while I definitely had a lot of bands that made me want to pursue music, it was having listened to UK Thrash Metal veterans, Solitary, and their gritty and heavy album, Nothing Changes, that gave me the singular drive to pursue my own sound and have it recorded. Seeing them live many aeons ago only cemented that drive. In terms of what I create, they're a very different band in terms of sound and style, given that they represent the Vanguard spirit of British Thrash Metal, but their work had that distinct inspiring effect. I continue to follow and support their work, of which there's plenty.
13. Which album represents to you the essence of black metal? What last albums have you bought?
I'd argue that there is no singular album or moment. The essence of Black Metal hearkens back to a time before the label or term even existed and is spread across numerous bands and projects. Having said that, I would probably place Bathory's “Under The Sign of The Black Mark” along with the works of earlier Celtic Frost, Hellhammer and even Sodom, as having provided the genre with its core essence. The rest was down to the Scandinavian bands that took things to another level from that baseline inspiration. The recent albums I have acquired are Daevayasna by the Norwegian-Persian band, From The Vastland, whose frontman, Sina Winter, has been doing some phenomenal work for the last ten years at the least. I've also been regularly listening to Solitary's latest record, The Truth Behind The Lies, as this band's inspiration to me, personally, cannot be stated enough. In addition, I've got the album End, by the British Death and Black Metal band, Ereskigal, which is just a demonstration in conjuring pure brutal atmosphere. I've also been listening regularly to the Horror SciFi project, Amygdolor, which has some punishing ambient Black Metal elements, as well as Beshenitar, which thrives on a very raw old school Black Metal sound and depressive aesthetic. Truth be told, there's innumerably compelling content out there for people to consume these days.
14. What future plans do you have for Kade Storm in terms of upcoming releases, concerts or reissues?
There are always ideas to work on and develop from, though as of right now and the immediate long term, I am focussing primarily on supporting and promoting Ascension.
15. Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions for Black Metal Spirit, if you want to add something for Kade Storm fans this is the place. I hope the questions are to your liking.
Much appreciated. Thanks for the excellent exchange and the support. As for the fans and anyone interested. Feel free to give the music a listen on the bandcamp website and social media, which have been linked below.
https://kadestorm.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/kadestormmusic
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