DEADLY STORM zine: Interview - ACHAIC THORN - Occult death metal from Germany!

Interview with occult death metal band from Germany - ACHAIC THORN.

Answered C.L., M.F., thank you!

Translated Markéta, thank you!

Recenze/review - ARCHAIC THORN - Eradication (2020):

https://www.deadlystormzine.com/2020/12/recenzereview-archaic-thorn-eradication.html

Ave ARCHAIC THORN! I haven’t found any interview in the Czech language with you, yet. So please, first introduce the band to our readers who don’t know you. You could start from the early beginnings and describe the whole ARCHAIC THORN history.

C.L.: Ave. M.F.(bass and vocals) and myself (guitars) started in 2010 with the vision to play raw, morbid and honest Metal of Death. About one year later we met T.R. (drums). He, with the same passion for this kind of art and sharing same visions of how a DM band has to sound like, completed the bands line up. At first we were practising some cover songs, but it didn`t take us long until we wrote songs of our own. This first emanations where manifested in 2013 on our first output, the demo “Hydra Throats”. Some local gigs here and there and two years later it was followed by an MLP called “In desolate Magnificence”. And at the end of last year we released our first full length „Eradication“.

I’m just listening to your new record „Eradication“ and I feel like as if I am closed in some tomb together with POSSESSED, VENOM, VITAL REMAINS, ACHERON, NECROPHAGIA, NECROS CHRISTOS, GRAVE MIASMA, DEAD CONGREGATION. The record has a great dark sound. Where did you record it and how satisfied you are with it? Did you have the "last word" concerning the resulting sound?

C.L.: Thank you for the kind words. Recording took place in Time and Dust studio in a town close to the place we live. Important for our decision to record the album there, was the fact that people we are working with are 100% into this kind of music and have a good understanding for our own sound. And with the ability to capture exactly the sound we were looking for the album and thats the case there. Of course, that dark and violent sound is exactly what we wanted. And yes, we had the last word on the final result.

How was the new material for album „„Eradication“ created? How exactly ARCHAIC THORN writes the music?

M.F.: All the material was written during a time period of 5 years. There is no exact scheme according to which we write our songs, some are written more on clear visions and ideas some songs are created more instinctively. But all of our songmaterial is created in the rehearsal room, and everyone of us is equally involved in the creating process.

„Eradication“ has dark cover art. Who is an author? I really like his work. How did you actually choose the idea of the cover and what exactly illustrates?

M.F.:The cover was done by Misanthropic Arts, a german artist who has done many great artworks for several bands in the past. The idea for the cover came from the artist himself. We gave him the final mix and the album title and told him we want to have the cover in that drawing style and it must represent and visualize our music the best possible way and totally match the album title. Now the cover speaks for itself. We leave, what exactly can be seen to the listeners imagination.

Could you reveal us who is an author of the lyrics and what is their background? Where did you take inspiration for certain topics?

M.F.: I wrote all the lyrics for Eradication. Each songtext has its own specific background. But mostly all of my lyrics deal with occult themes about death, darkness, chaos and things far from this profane world we are living in. I mostly drew inspiration from my own spiritual experiences, the legacy of ancient cultures, reading books and of course listen to music.

You play music as old as occult death metal itself. How do you perceive new directions in the death metal? I mean mixing with death core or technical death metal? Do you have any favourite bands in “modern metal”?

M.F.: Deathcore honestly we dont care about. But when its a little more technical its fine as long as the transferred atmosphere of the music is dark and brutal. For example a band like Hate Eternal but they have played that DM style for over twenty years or so now. Also nothing really modern.

What about ARCHAIC THORN and concerts? Do you play a lot? Are you going on tour or you are choosing only bigger festivals? And what about touring over Europe?

M.F.: We had a few gigs but only in Germany in the past. We dont play live that often. But a tour with maybe one or two good other bands would be fine. Also some local gigs in Czech Republic would be great in the future, but at the moment it’s obviously not possible.

Can you recommend some new albums, which impressed you at the latest time?

M.F.: Yes, I can highly recommend the new album from finnish Black Metal veterans Horna a fantastic album with an increadible dark and cold atmosphere.

And the first album from Omegavortex an relatively new german DM band, great stuff in the vein of old Morbid Angel and Necrovore.

Do you know and listen to some metal bands from the Czech Republic?

M.F.: Bands like Root, Masters Hammer and Maniac Butcher are well known here. Masters Hammer’s „Ritual“ is a timeless masterpiece!

We are slowly approaching the end of the interview so I would like to ask one more philosophical question. How would you define the death metal style? What represents this music for you and why did you choose exactly this genre?

M.F.: There lies a certain beauty in this music you are mostly doomed to search in other aspects of life itself. Which only can be found in extreme forms of art such as Death and Black Metal. Its also about strong feelings and messages you are only able to deliver through this music, you will never be able to describe or find words for it at all. We are all tied to this art since our early days in youth, it’s a main part of our lives and there is no turning back on this. This music represents everything we have ever wanted to do musically and beyond.