1. Adon begins its journey around 2019, when did you decide to create the band? Why did you choose the name Adon and what does it refer to?
The name ‘Adon’ stems from ancient etymologies and could mean “lord” or possibly even “father”...most commonly, its used as “lord”. Thematically, we felt it appropriate. Practically, it's nice to have an “A” name on a list, because it's always near the top! haha.
2. You made yourself known with “Arkane”, your first EP released in 2020, now you are presenting your first album “Adon”, what was the composition and recording process of this new work and what main differences can we find with “Arkane?” ”?What brands of instruments have you used in the process?
The composition process was essentially the same…Nath and I would send each other ideas back and forth to develop the arrangements for riffs, etc. each new idea would inspire some further exploration of what a certain passage or rift could sound like, and that would continue on until we both felt like we had exhausted every idea that we could for each song. The recording process was quite different for the album though…We recorded at a proper studio for all of the guitars and bass and some other sounds, and James’ set up for his drums had been significantly upgraded since the EP. So all together the sound quality was raised beyond what was possible for the EP.
As far as the instruments go, you can find James’ drum set up on his YouTube channel or on his socials, etc. for guitars and such, we just used whatever we had on hand. An old Telly for one guitar, a Schecter E-1 ELS Evil Twin for the other. The bass was unremarkable as well. I do know that Dave Otero did some kind of magic on the guitars in mixing.
3. Your sound is based on a death/black base, in which thrash influences can also be found. Does the sound of the new album respond to the sound that you have been looking for, for example, since the time of Argonath? How would you describe the sound of the album to Who hasn't heard it yet? What bands and styles have been an influence on you?
You must have done some digging to find ‘Argonath’! I think that the sound on this album compared to previous endeavors, represents the both of us equally. It really is an amalgamation of extreme metal sound, and it is a journey. Many bands influence us, though it's mostly rooted in early/late 90s era extreme metal. It's difficult to pinpoint exact bands that influenced the record because we really wrote it in a sort of creative vacuum without listening to other things. But in general, black, death, thrash, and avant-garde are probably the biggest core influences.
4. In almost all the songs you have the collaboration of a guest musician, where does the idea of being able to have these collaborations come from? Have these collaborations contributed their own ideas to the composition of the songs or did they simply participate in what was requested?
Including guest musicians was really just because I like working with people creatively. I was lucky enough to already know, or had recently developed relationships with all of the guests in the album. The line of thinking was, “man…you know what would sound amazing right here….?” and go from there. I actually reached out to even more people to be involved, but given touring schedules, other commitments, etc. it didn't work out for some. Maybe next time!
The ideas for what they added came from myself and Nath and we worked together to capture the sound we needed for the part or track.
5. Your lyrics cover different topics, from war, to legends or the cosmos, where do these ideas for the lyrics come from and where can these themes come together? Do the lyrics adapt to the music or vice versa?
I've stated this before in other places, but lyrically it's fairly standard metal fare. The universe and our place in it inspires creativity for us. The music is the glue that ties these elements together, along with story. An element of storytelling is present in our songs as well.
I think a way that we differ might be that every song (save for Azimuth) includes lyrics in Olde English, which adds to the immersion of certain themes.
Usually, a theme would be chosen for what a song could be about, then the music would be written, and once a solid base was in place the lyrics would begun to be written. Everything would be tweaked together after that for cohesion.
6. Have you done the composition, recording and mastering process yourself or have you worked with a producer?
We didn't really have a producer in the traditional sense. We were our own producers, but we worked with other professionals for tracking, mixing and mastering. I would assemble our demos and mix those, but would never try my hand at mixing or mastering for release.
7. All the song titles on the new album begin with the letter “A”, was this something premeditated? What were you looking for with this?
The idea of starting every song with an “A” started with our EP and will continue for future releases.You'll notice on the EP that each song starts with an “A” as well. With the first song on that EP being titled “Alpha”, in other words, the beginning.
To me, it's another way to tie to a central theme. We're “that band with the A’s” now as well, Haha! We found the idea compelling. We also utilize the ancient letter “Æ” as it is heavily present in Olde English, and many of our songs involve ancient Saxon or Viking imagery.
8. For the physical CD edition you have worked with the record label The Metalhead Box, is this an important step for you when it comes to being able to strengthen Adon? How did the possibility of working with The Metalhead Box arise?
They reached out to us about including the album in their April subscription box. We need all the help we can get with promotion and getting the word out, so it really was a no-brainer for us! I've been able to watch a few unboxing videos, and the response to our album being included is always met with a…”What the hell is this?” Haha. We're super grateful that they reached out to us and thought to include us!
9. On your cover you maintain the dark and sinister tone, who designed the album cover, what does it represent and how does it relate to the content of the album?
I conceptualized, designed and created the cover for the album myself. It's specifically based on the self-titled track off of the album. It shows the character of the ancient king that the song’s narrative is about. It also features visual elements that are particular to other songs. Like the cosmos, a black hole, etc.
10. Is there a possibility that we will see Adon offering a concert one day?
We are definitely trying to figure out how something like this could work. For us, what would make for a truly memorable experience would be to include all of the artists in the way that they are present on the album. That presents an obvious challenge, especially as it would relate to including James and some of the other touring musicians. We are throwing around some ideas though! We'll see what pans out.
11. What is your opinion of the black metal scene in a country like the USA? What bands would you recommend from your area?
I've heard the argument that black metal is actually oversaturated all across the globe. But I've seen some killer black metal bands that have absolutely been on repeat for me recently in the US! Bands like Stormruler, Valdrin and Hekseblad to name only a few.
12. How were your beginnings in music: first concerts you attended, first albums you bought? What happened in your lives that pushed you to want to be musicians?
Humble beginnings! Haha. The scene we grew up in was rooted in early metalcore. We were stuck in that for a while until we were introduced to Emperor and COB, which blew our minds and we were forever changed. Our families are musical, and Nath’s family has deep roots in music history, particularly with amps. We dove deep into everything quickly once we had been introduced to it, so we had tons of albums all at once. I remember a few of my personal favorite bands in the beginning were Emperor, Moonsorrow, Thyrfing, Ensiferum…who knows, maybe we've got some folk metal coming in our future! 😄 I think one of my first real extreme metal concerts was Finntroll.
13. What album represents for you the essence of black metal? What latest albums have you bought?
This is a tough question. I suppose I have to go with my first introduction, Emperor. But specifically, Anthems. That will always be the first record I introduce to people new to black metal. As far as latest albums purchased…I would say the three I mentioned above: Stormruler, Valdrin, Hekseblad, plus Dodsrit and …And Oceans.
14. Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions for Black Metal Spirit, if you want to add something for Adon's followers this is the place. I hope the questions are to your liking.
We want to thank everyone who has supported us this far, and hope you all are loving the album. You all will allow us to create more, and that's really what this is all about for us. Thank you! 🤘
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