| |
Features - Column
 Dethroned Emperor #1 Column by Josh Haun | April 18th, 2008
I first became aware of Texas-based black metal trio Averse Sefira back in 2001 when they released their now classic second album, Battle's Clarion. Although I had formally never found American black metal to be particularly impressive compared to its European counterpart, the band's sound was a chaotic maelstrom of pure malevolence that made me take notice instantly, and radically altered my perception of what the USBM movement might be capable of. Four years later, Averse Sefira would return with Tetragrammatical Astygmata, another devastatingly complex release even more blistering than its predecessor. The album firmly established the band as one of US black metal's most elite acts, able to present a body of work that was just as mature conceptually as it was musically.
This year, Averse Sefira have crawled out of the abyss once again release Advent Parallax, an album that is undoubtedly the pinnacle of their career. With this release, the cataclysmic urgency of Battle's Clarion and Tetragrammitical Astygmata have been infused with an epic songwriting approach, affording the band a previously untapped opportunity to explore its own tumultuous sound to the fullest extent and beyond. The album is a sonic nexus of musical attack, joined with striking visual presentation and esoteric lyrical concepts. These elements culminate in a recording that can only be described as a mesmerizing, hellish glimpse of a band at the absolute zenith of their creative prowess. Curious to learn more about the inner workings of Averse Sefira, I contacted bassist/vocalist Wrath Sathariel Diabolus via the dreaded myspace to discuss the terrifying revelation that is Advent Parallax.
----
Sonic Frontiers: Talk a little about the creation of the new album, Advent Parallax. How does the record fit into the overall concept of Averse Sefira and what were the circumstances surrounding its genesis?
Wrath: It is so far the deepest foray into post-death (which is not to be confused with life after death in any manner). At our inception much of our concepts were effectively the same in that it mostly revolved around mysticism and metaphysics, but early on there were more linear story arcs with readily identifiable narrators. By the time we arrived at Tetragrammatical Astygmata our ideas had transformed into something much more abstract yet much closer to the heart of it all. Our lyrics are now much more gestalt in that they suggest ideas and allow more room for visualization and interpretation. This change in approach is also aligned with our growth and progression as a band; the abandonment of the earthly confines leads to a boundless realm to discover.
SF: In addition to evolving conceptually, you've managed to keep a distinctive core sound while continuing to progress as songwriters and musicians. Please discuss how the musical development of the band informed the new album.
Wrath: Like most bands who work at their craft over a long period there was a natural evolution and acquisition of new methods as we moved forward. If your forebrain works the way it should, then you should inevitably become more adept at something if you do it repeatedly. When this doesn't happen, at least from what I've seen in the metal arena, the results are at best bland and at worst pathetic. I am never happy to see a band with a distinctive sound change it outright, but all the same it is always important for a band to investigate its own soundscape and understand its potential.
SF: One particular element I've noticed is that the band seems to become more intense/aggressive with every release, while the compositions become lengthier and more complex. Is this increasingly violent yet elaborate approach intentional or merely a part of your natural progression?
Wrath: We've always been violent in our approach but I think with the aid of strong production and the aforementioned natural progression we have absorbed more venom as time goes on.
SF: In the booklet for Advent Parallax, the credits state "All music summoned and bound by Averse Sefira." Discuss if you will this notion of the band as conduit harnessing the energies of outside forces in order to create.
Wrath: I have discussed many times how Averse Sefira is a living consciousness unto itself, one that directs us to create our work and decide how best to advance it. We do indeed summon this music; we have never really written anything simply for the sake of it, which is why we never end up with more songs than the ones featured on each album. Once they are summoned we bind them by establishing the structure and form that allows the information to be coherent and comprehensible to an audience.
SF: By now it is well known that Jos A. Smith created the artwork gracing the cover of Advent Parallax. How did you come into contact with him and what is it about his work that suits the album's content? How important is visual imagery to Averse Sefira?
Wrath: Visual imagery is paramount to Averse Sefira. I am an intensely visual person and I tend to fixate on the way aesthetics operate as a crucial component of concepts and meaning. I was aware of Jos' work for some time but I never imagined that one day I would know him as a friend and collaborator. I was shown an old art magazine with an article about him and it featured a full page version of "A Machine for a Journey of Indeterminate Depth," and it was like a lightening bolt striking my brain. To me, that piece perfectly embodies everything Sanguine and I portrayed in our music. That drawing is what I think of as an unholy sefiroth, yet it is so much more. We actually refined the lyrics of Advent Parallax to better capture the nature of the Machine, who is ultimately the central figure of the album. I do not think there ever could have been a better confluence of ideas, which is amazing if you consider that piece was drawn in 1977. It is as if it was waiting for us all along.
SF: For Advent Parallax you once again enlisted the services of Tore Stjerna (aka Necromorbus) as producer. What does he bring your sound?
Wrath: Tore has been instrumental in allowing us to fully realize the nature of our art. He has a unique sensibility that brings majesty and even dignity to black metal without stripping it of its inherently ugly nature. He is like a modern day alchemist in that regard, and we owe quite a bit to him for the success of our latest album in particular.
SF: What is it about black metal in general that you find appealing? What inspires you to create this music and how does that inspiration inform Averse Sefira?
Wrath: It speaks to us in that at its best it is pure evil; that is, it is beyond the post-moral confines that still cripple most minds of the western world. It is will, conviction, and a tireless drive to demand a world of our own making without any compromises or apologies. It is the martial call. We still very much believe in black metal and these precepts despite the circus that has grown around it. Black metal gives us the opportunity to devise a sound and approach that could not be achieved in any other genre. It is true liberation.
SF: In recent years US black metal bands such as yourselves, Krieg, Nachtmystium etc. have finally started to get the attention you deserve. What qualities do you think make US black metal unique and why did it take so long for the metal community at large to catch up? Additionally, what qualities do you feel separate Averse Sefira from your so-called peers?
Wrath: I keep getting this question and I still have not decided on a satisfactory answer. US black metal is unique because it has no recognizable model or paradigm, unlike the Norwegian movement, for example. This has proven to be more harmful than useful, since back when American death metal ruled the world all the bands sounded different but they still observed a specific form that set many new standards. I have always wished that the American black metal scene had developed in the same fashion but it was not to be. Accordingly, we could not be acknowledged as musically (and ideologically) consistent movement so individual bands had to persist on their own in order to gain any recognition. Averse Sefira does not hearken to any specific region of the world, and this is what makes us different. Our sound is tied to the void and paths beyond, and we simply happen to live in America.
----
Averse Sefira released Advent Parallax on February 12th, 2008 via Candlelight records. You can listen to the song "Descension" from the album as well as variety of older tracks at the band's MySpace Page.
In other news, I am saddened beyond belief to find out last week that Celtic Frost has once again fragmented according to a posting on the band's website. According to the posting, founding guitarist/vocalist Tom G. Fischer "has left Celtic Frost due to the irresolvable, severe erosion of the personal basis so urgently required to collaborate within a band so unique, volatile, and ambitious." I am eternally grateful to have caught them on tour back in 2006 and will always ponder what could have been.
Controversial US death metal act Arghoslent released Hornets of the Pogrom via Drakkar Productions early last month, and it appears the band can do no wrong musically in spite of their misguided politics.
Leviathan's Massive Conspiracy Against All Life has also finally seen the light of day thanks to Moribund Records, and upon initial spins is easily living up to its hype as one of the years most anticipated black metal releases.
One upcoming release that might be flying under the radar however and undoubtedly deserves your attention is Desaster's Satan's Soldiers Syndicate, a grisly slab of German black thrash bound to appease fans of Nifelheim and Aura Noir. Full review coming soon.
|
|
|
