miércoles, 28 de julio de 2021

MALICE DIVINE - INTERVIEW



 1. When did you decide to end your time with Astaroth Incarnate and create Malice Divine? Why did you choose the name Malice Divine and what does it refer to?

I didn’t decide to end my time with Astaroth Incarnate because the ending of my time with them wasn’t my decision. They fired me very unceremoniously back in the summer of 2019. I had already been working on the songs that would end up on the debut Malice Divine album for a while prior to my firing, but after being fired I was able to really pick up the pace with the completion of the album. I choose the name Malice Divine because I feel like it suited the overall vibe and lyrical content that I am going for. The name doesn’t refer to anything in particular other the literal meaning of the two words together, which means a god or any other form of the divine as a malicious entity. 


2. "Malice DivineE is your first album, an album that is surely the result of years of ideas and work. How was the process of composing and recording this album? As the main composer of the band, which was more complicated for you at the time of recording? What brand of instruments did you use for the recording?

The composing and recording of the album was a lot of fun, but at the same time it was a ton of hard work! It was a very mentally taxing process despite how enjoyable and exciting it was. It’s hard to pinpoint what was the most complicated part of recording the album. It was all pretty challenging stuff. For the brands of the instruments that I used, those include my Charcoal Grey Jackson Dinky for recording all of the electric guitar parts, as well as a Yamaha Classical Guitar and a Yamaha Bass for recording the classical guitar and bass parts. 


3. "Malice Divine" is an album that, beyond styles such as death or black, sounds tremendously melodic in general terms. What band have been your main sources of inspiration when composing and recording this album? How would you describe the sound of the album to those who have not yet heard it?

I can’t pin point just one band because there have been so many that have been inspirations for me. Some of those bands include Dissection, Watain, Amon Amarth, Wintersun, Ensiferum, Death, Morbid Angel, Behemoth, Absu, Destroyer 666, Skeletonwitch, Immortal, Bathory, Iron Maiden, just to name a few! To those I have not heard it I would describe it has the most melodic and catchy black metal and death metal combination there is.


4. Dylan Gowan was the drummer for the album, how did the possibility of working with Dylan on “Malice Divine” come about? What do you think Dylan has contributed to the final sound of the album?

In late 2019 I made a post on social media about looking for a drummer for my new musical project. Dylan, as well as two other drummers reached out to me. It soon became clear that it wouldn’t work out at all with the other too drummers so going with Dylan was the most obvious choice. We worked together briefly once when I was in Astaroth Incarnate, as he filled in on drums for one of the shows that we played. I was super impressed with drumming, so you could say that show planted the seed for me to get him onboard for session drums for what would end up being Malice Divine. Dylan contributed a lot to the album, most notable his incredibly powerful and tight drumming, as well as plenty of killer fills and even a few drum beats of his own. For example, the tribal pattern during the verses of ‘Ancient Visions’ is something that he had come up with. With that said, I did compose most of the drum parts in Guitar Pro.


5. What themes does the lyrics of "Malice Divine" address and why do you consider it important to address them? Do the lyrics of the songs appear before or after the composition of the music?

The lyrics of Malice Divine ranges across various different themes such as spirituality, resilience, determination,  and emotional expression. The lyrics appear after the composition of the music. They are usually the last part of the songwriting process for me.


6. The album artwork was the work of Pzychopart, why did you decide to work with them to make the artwork for “Malice Divine”? What does the cover represent and how does it relate to the music on the album?

I decided to work with Pzychopart because I was incredibly with his work. He is an excellent illustrator. Out of all the people I talked to about potentially doing artwork for the album, I liked his style the best. The cover represents the overall vibe of the music. I showed him the album covers of some of the albums that I have been heavily influenced by as a reference for what I want for the album, and then what you see is what he came up with.


7. Tyler Williams and Lasse Lammert have taken care of aspects such as the mixing and mastering of the album, why did he decide to work with them and what do you think they have contributed to the final result of the album in terms of sound?

I had worked with Tyler Williams before when I was in my previous band, and I found him easy and pleasant to work with. I really like his production style so I knew that from working with him I’d get some killer results for the album. He also lives pretty close to me which is a big plus. Lasse Lammert I was referred to by Tyler and I decided to get him on board for mastering because of his experience. He’s worked with well known bands such as Alestorm, Abigail Williams, etc, so I knew he’d do a killer job with Tyler’s Mix. 



8. The album has been self-released in digital and CD format, why are you making this decision to self-release the album? Was there no interest from any record label to release the album?

I decided to self-release the album because I didn’t want to deal with any of the headaches that come with being a part of a label. Since Malice Divine is a very new project, I wanted to make sure that whatever return on investment that comes from the music goes back to me. I don’t want to split it with anyone else. It wasn’t a matter of there not being interest in a record label to release the album at all because I didn’t even look for a label in the first place.


9. How were his beginnings in music, the first albums he bought, the first concerts he attended, etc. What made him want to be a musician in his life?

I was 12 years old When I really got into music. I started off with a lot of classic rock and traditional heavy metal/thrash metal. Some of the early bands that I loved include Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Metallica, Motorhead, to name a few. The first albums that I ever bought were two that I bought together. Those were Metallica’s Ride The Lightning and Master Of Puppets. What made me want to be a musician? Thats a great question. I was so inspired by the music that I loved as a kid that inspired me to one day create music that makes people feel the way that my favourite music did one day.


10. What is the extreme metal scene like in a city like Toronto? Which bands would you recommend from the ones you are just starting out?

The extreme metal scene in Toronto is pretty good! Some Toronto bands you should check out include Vesperia, Iomair, Centuries Of Decay, Thantifaxath, Tomb Mold, Panzerfaust, and VI.


11. "Malice Divine" was composed and released in full confinement due to Covid-19, what has this period meant for you when it comes to dedicating time to the band?

“Malice Divine” wasn’t composed and released in full confinement due to Covid-19. I started composing the album long before the Covid-19 Pandemic had even started. What this period has meant for me when it comes to the “band” (I used band in quotations because Malice Divine is first and foremost a solo project) is the free time that it offered me to put whatever final touches and refinements to the songs and to practice my ass off to deliver the best performances possible for tracking the album.


12. Which album represents to you the essence of black metal? What recent albums have you bought?

Even though this isn’t my all time favourite black metal album, I have to go with Mayhem’s De Mysterius Dom Sathanas. The atmosphere and the riffing on that album captures the essence of black metal perfectly. I haven’t bought any albums recently.


13. With your sights set on the future of the band, are there possibilities of including new musicians in the Malice Divine line-up with an eye to, for example, performing concerts? What future plans do you have for Malice Divine? Regarding upcoming releases, reissues, etc?

There is a live line-up being put together for Malice Divine! I am aiming to start performing live with Malice Divine in 2022. Other than that, future plans for Malice Divine include finish the second album and then recording it!


14. Thank you very much for the time dedicated to Black Metal Spirit, if you want to add something for Malice Divine the place. I hope the questions have been to your liking.

Thank you to everyone who has checked out my music and to everyone who has supported me in any way!

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Svartsyn ‎– Nightmarish Sleep (vinyl Purple With Oxblood Red Splatters, limited to 100 copies) 19,99 €



Limited to 100 copies.
Comes with LP-size double-sided lyrics insert.







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