Die britische Doom-Metal-Legende hat nicht nur ein neues Doppel-Album angekündigt, sondern kommt auch noh in Kürze nach Deutschland. Unter anderem am 24. Mai ins Hamburger MarX und einen Tag später nach Berlin. Mit dabei sind bei diesen Gigs die Hamburger OPHIS sowie die Schweizer-Doom-Mädels SHEVER. Grund genug, mal bei Mastermind Greg Chandler nachzufragen, was es so Neues gibt, was er von Tour und Scheibe erwartet.InterviewWhat’s up? The last thing I remember was the new drummer in early 2007 and a new guitarist later…


Yes, Joe Fletcher joined in February 2007 on drums. Finally we found a permanent drummer who is good enough to allow us to do whatever we want musically. And Steve Peters left in August 2007 and was replaced by Kris Clayton on guitar. So, the line-up is currently complete and stable. And the current line-up is;

Gordon Bicknell – guitar, Mark Bodossian – bass, Greg Chandler – guitar, vocals, Kris Clayton – guitar
Joe Fletcher – drums, Olivier Goyet – keyboards.



You released (will release) a new CD. I just got the advance. Can you tell me something about the development from “Esoteric Emotions - The Death of Ignorance” until now and especially the jump from “Subconscious Dissolution into the Continuum” until “The Maniacal Vale”. And why did you chose to release a Double-CD?


The development has just been a natural evolution and progression with what we do, how we have experienced life, and how we channel certain moods and feelings into the music.
I think the music is quite extreme, yes. It has some extremely dark and intense moods within it at times. The main difference between “The Maniacal Vale” and the demo from 1993 is that we are all much more experienced in playing, writing, composing, and so on. The amount of time and attention to detail that goes into creating and fine-tuning the music and sounds is far greater now.
We chose to record a double-CD this time, because we prefer our albums to be long and therefore contain more diverse elements through having more songs on it.
We had the option to stay with Season of Mist for this album, so we took it. So far the collaboration has worked well for us I think, if taking an overall view.


Perhaps one cool example for some cool lyrics?


The lyrics are a reflection of the contents of the mind, past and present experiences, emotions, thoughts, views, and so on. One line that stays in my mind as being quite relevant to life is “Eyes that see too much, lose the will to see”. Being too aware can be a difficult thing sometimes.



What means the band-name to you personally? And of course, what means DOOM for you?


We take the word literally, as defined; Understood by or meant only for only the select few who have special knowledge or interest.“Doom” for me is a media-defined category of music, like any other. I take each and every band on it’s own merit, regardless of style, if I am honest. Style is not so important to me as for example the feel of the music and whether I can relate to it emotionally, or in some other way that gratifies me. I like some bands from most styles and genres of metal and also many other styles of music.


>You are touring up from 17. of May in Europe. What do you expect from the tour? Would you agree, when I say, that there is something like a “doom-boom”? And do you know the cool band OPHIS you will be playing with in Hamburg and Berlin?


Well, we never really “expect” anything I think. We just do shows because we enjoy playing a lot, and we go to each gig with an open mind. It is just good to go to new places and play. It is also good to get away from Birmingham. I didn’t know Ophis before but I have checked out their music now and it sounded quite good. It is definitely easier to get gigs for us now than it was ten years ago. I wouldn’t say it is a “doom-boom” as the style is still largely unknown even amongst the metal “scene”, but it is certainly better known than it was when we started.


What about touring in the past? Can you tell us some funny/ extraordinary stories?


Well, our van caught fire while we were in it on our UK tour back in 1995. And in 1997 in Germany one of our guitarists fell down a manhole, breaking his knee and dislocating his kneecap. Life on tour can be quite bizarre sometimes. It is hard to really compare nations and cultures, as we spend little time at each place. Most of the days are spent travelling and then inside venues. Human nature is fairly similar the world over. Only the customs and ways of life can be very different.


I read in your bio: “…drug influenced tortured doom”. Why and which drugs? Is this the only way to live in this world? By the way: What do you think about “the world”?


Substance use, particularly hallucinogens can (in some minds) broaden the horizons of the senses, opening pathways of the mind not usually experienced during “normal” states of consciousness. Basically, it is down to what the individual can learn and extract from the experience. There is also the enjoyment of it, of course. Some hallucinogens offer an introverted journey through the mind. Every experience is different, and once you have the experiences you do not have to be in that state to recall what is gained. The enhancement in perception of colour and sound usually associated with certain drugs is a useful tool in sculpting music. Drug use for me is not an escape from reality or a means to deal with the world. More a tool that is used in moderation. The world is a rather large concept to discuss briefly. If I give an overall view, I would say that life is a mixture of what is thrust upon you and what you can make from your own circumstances.



Please compare the metal-scene today and before, when you started you’re career. Try to give a description of the development…


It has been almost 16 years now since Esoteric formed. So, I have seen quite a growth in the number of bands and changes in the way music is spread and promoted now. At the start it was mostly based on magazines and fanzines, but now a lot of promotion is done on the internet. So, it is possible to access many more bands and music more easily. The methods for getting music recorded and released are also much cheaper, and there are more “channels” for releasing music, such as through the internet.
On the downside, it also means that anyone with internet access can “release” their music. So there are more bands being heard, but it is also harder to find the really good bands amongst so many. Quite a lot of new categories and sub-genres have been formed under the banner of “metal” and there are also a lot of great bands that manage to be very unique and individual. It just takes longer to find them now, that is all, because there are a hundred plagiarists or poor musicians for each band that puts their own, unique heart and soul into the creation of their music.



Tell me something about your side-projcts, hobbies and your private life.



Most of the band members have side-projects or other bands. Gordon has Lysergene, Olivier has Dead Beat Project, Mark has Pantheist, Joe has Deacon Birch and Da Vinci Code, Kris has Camel of Doom. And sometimes we will take session work, write for others, etc. Almost all of us work within the music industry, between us, composing, programming, engineering/producing, teaching or something similar. Music is our raison d’etre.



What about England? Where do you come from, how is life there from the point of view of a musician and from social aspects. And isn’t it a shame that your football-national-team stays at home? What about clichés like fish and chips, centralistic London, warm beer, white English man nearly dying in the sun…


The band was formed in Birmingham, and that is where Gordon and I are from. The rest of the members are from other places, though most live in Birmingham. Life for a musician in England can be difficult, if you depend entirely on music for an income, but there are also a lot of opportunities.
I do not follow football at all, to be honest. I almost never watch the television. Well, white English men do almost die in the sun, hehe. We are just not used to it. Regarding clichés, well, the best ones are usually the most offensive!



www.esotericuk.net


www.myspace.com/esotericuk