Here’s the thing
Since the release of `Lucifer Rising‘ I haven’t stopped recording. I took the month of April to promote the cover piece and then started work on `Torched Laughter’ some time in May. I took a good hard look at the songs and felt they needed to be re-orchestrated. Not re-written, mind you. I’m very happy with the songs themselves. Then I got this idea to make acoustic songs using similar song structures and feel found on Celtic Frost’s `Monotheist’ CD. Got 2 songs into it and it lost steam. I was doing everything I could through the summer to expand `Torched Laughter’ into a bigger project. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. It took until August to realise that it should be 5 songs, fuck the lost instrumentals and be done with it. Enjoy the 24 minutes. It’s not like we have attention spans anyway.
As the summer was drawing to a close, I wanted to make maximum use of Autumn (my favourite time.) I wanted to remember Autumn as a time where I worked on music that really reflects that time of year. But logistics had to be considered as well: I don’t like owning a lot of gear. I much prefer renting a big chunk of it. (acoustic guitars, pre-amps, microphones, cello, upright bass etc) If I started on any project, finished it, there would be a bit of down time before the next project. So all that stuff would have to be sent back, then re-rented again at a later time. Costly and again…stupid.
But O Fortuna! Timing was on my side! Autumn is here! Time for men to have larger sperm counts, and time for gothic metal. And as I type to you, I am relaxing from 2 solid weeks of recording bass, guitars and drums for 15-16 songs. Next week will begin with organs, mellotrons and those BEEP BEEP BOOP things. Once that’s done, I start renting all the outboard gear and work on vocals, acoustics, percussion for both this goth metal thing AND `Torched Laughter.’ In January new material should be public. I’m not releasing any of it earlier because the Christmas season is brutal for promotion….as I found out the hard way last time…
In some interviews I’ve stated that this a gothic progressive metal style `band.’ I have to second guess that now. The employment of hammond organ, mellotron and cutting back the gain on the guitars has yielded something much more satisfying. There’s a feeling of `Americana’ in the music. Not the thick-beef necked wheezing of Urban Hardcore. Ah well, I can’t explain it. You’ll hear it soon enough. And for you campire sing-along types, you can play every song on the acoustic guitar for whatever lady you are trying to seduce. Trying to play Gojira near a warm fire while your girl tries to snuggle up next you is a bit awkward, I know. Metal isn’t exactly the best music for those crisp summer nights outside. Nonetheless more sensual than let’s say…Dave Matthews Band.
Some covers that were recorded: Black Sabbath’s `Born Again,’ the mysterious unreleased NIN demo `Angel’ and Robert Johnson’s `Preacher’s Blues.’
Many other covers and songs are waiting in the queue and I’m beyond excited to tackle them. Even more excited that none of them are shitty 80’s New Wave songs.
I’m a bit scattered today, high on Buckley’s (pine needle soup) fighting off a cold.
My apologies for the lack of updates. It’s dogged my career since the beginning. Since I’m not a live band it’s hard to think up of interesting things to post. There’s only so many reviews to post. And if you have read them, listened to over half of the album and haven’t bought it, you’re not going to if I post another one. Some guys have managed to turn daily mindless drivel (ie, connecting with fans) into an art form. I have not mastered that alchemical mystery as of yet. The missus and friends are asking me to post more, especially when I’m angry. So I will try to be more angry in the future and make you laugh. Expect a few more postings this week. I’ll talk about my passion/contempt for mountain biking, my pals Prison Pot and Shortstuff, protests against the Zeppelin reunion, some anecdotes from the `live band’ days that may answer why I am not enthusiastic to play live amongst other things.
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