Since we last spoke via Halifax Collect in November, the band has been hard at work gigging, perfecting and recording their follow up. The band allowed Halifax Collect full access to the forthcoming - yet to be named - six song EP. All I can say, it's a ripper and shows the band branching out with riffs and parts worthy of Annihilator's Jeff Waters (He is Annihilator! Ottawa thrash hail!), Dissection/early Dark Tranquillity melodic riffing, fuller and heavier sound, an intro Testament would tip their hat to and gorgeous guitar solos that had your's truly pining for his youth drenched in mid-to-late '80s Helloween! And the bass is cutting through just as I hoped.
Bloodletter's lyrics this time dip into history and violent myths as well as Peter Carparelli's recent bout with a large brain tumor. An experience that found its way into the bands music and lyrics.
I spoke with Peter about this frightening turn of events and the band's new material.
But before you check that out, we are very happy to give you a premiere of "Reputation For Cruelty"!
Bloodletter is back sounding meatier and heavier than ever! From what I understand much has happened since we last spoke. Can you take me through that?
- Well there's been quite a lot of both good and bad since we last talked (HERE), but to put it plainly... We we're preparing for a show out near where Zach (Drums) and Tanner (Bass) live. We had a great practice the night before the show and the next morning I began to feel really sick. Zach thought it might have been allergies or something, so I tried to shrug it off. However after a little while, my speech was slurred and the guys thought I was loosing control of the left side of my body a bit. If they weren't insistent on my going to a hospital I would've played through what was happening.
That night, I was diagnosed with a pretty large brain tumor and would need surgery. A week and a half after I was diagnosed and had a bunch of tests done, I had surgery to remove a tumor that was about the size of mandarin orange. Fortunately after more testing the tumor was categorised as benign and then it was a six week recovery window for me. Fortunately the doctors were really positive and maintained that I was healthy and thought I would make a full recovery.
- Well I'd say that my band mates are really some of the most supportive and awesome friends a guy could ask for. They were there with me when it started in stayed in the emergency room waiting area with me all day. While I recovered, the guys were really encouraging and helped me to write more music for the band. I was working on more tunes for another release, but then when I came home, I practiced guitar every day I could. The doctors encouraged me to do so, so I could build up my arm strength. (the tumor was on the right side of my brain, thus affecting the left side of my body). But thanks to stubborn determination, supportive friends and family, I made it through that recovery period.
But there were definitely darker and more angry days as I was basically sidelined and stuck in my apartment for almost two months. And the songs I finished up definitely took a turn towards a meaner sound. I was reading a lot on villainous figures in history, the occult and paranormal occurrences. And dealing with my own depression and anger due to this whole ordeal. Don't get me wrong, I'm incredibly thankful for my friends and family, but I was feeling a lot of different things. So i wrote a song that really helped me cope with the experience, the title track "Malignancy" even though the tumor was benign, I felt as if I was turning into a meaner person so to speak. I really don't know how else to put it. I wrote the song from the perspective of what I felt and what someone might feel and want to do if they were in my shoes had it been much worse.
Right. It's evident in these new songs, man. They are your heaviest yet. Not to take away from the song writing itself but I'm glad to see you bring up warmer tones in all instruments, which renders them more live and aggressive I feel, than say, the more cleaned up sound of your first recordings.
- Well we wanted more aggressive, live sounding record this time around. Something that would fit in with all of the older thrash recordings we love. And I felt that in order to get that sound, we needed to get things grittier on the way in.
All I can say is that is sounds more organic and livelier this way. And that adds punch, without going nuts on compressors and click-drums. Jesus! How would you say the songwriting on this album has progressed as apposed to the last one? How has it changed and what's the difference now other than being heavier? What did you try to do differently?
- When it came to writing, I would try to write something that I knew we'd enjoy playing together. All the songs need to have a melodic, but aggressive feel to them. Jason would come up with riffs here and there for songs, and then I'd take them all and arrange them into something whole. Writing music with him has been a huge help for me.
I bet many envy you of this work relationship. Lastly, the song titles shoot pretty straight but without a lyric sheet, they leave me wanting to know more. Can you give us a brief description of what each song talks about?
- The songs in order are:
"In Ruined Halls" (intro). Just close your eyes and imagine you're standing in a defiled, ruined church. And a group plays a maniacal melody that echoes out and signals the arrival of some sinister music.
"Reputation for Cruelty" is an ode to the great Vlad Tepes (Count Dracula) and his exploits in Transylvania. How he crushed those who dared to defy his rule. He fascinates me and I felt he deserved a song.
"Blackest Mass" is a song about the Mass of Saint-Secaire church in France. An old black magic ritual turned horribly wrong. All to achieve the highest possible revenge.
"Skullsplitter" is a song about Thorfinn Torf-Einarsson, the man rumoured to have split his subjects heads in half if they dare to break his laws. Another figure of history who ruled a beautiful land, that had seen its fair share of violence.
"Poisonous Affair" focuses on a murder scandal in France back in the 1600s. Rumored to be ridden with witchcraft, black magic and Satan people being possessed to due justice to the nobility of France who claimed righteousness.
"Malignancy" covers what I felt during my recovery and what I felt like doing if I had turned "malignant" so to speak.
- Birkir Fjalar
Related stories
No comments:
Post a Comment