Slava Tchortu! How are you? Anything important you want to share at the beginning? What’s going on in the The Wake camp these days, any sensational news?
Noroc! Yes, the big news is that we decided to work on new material this month to release it later this year. There will be only one 15-minute metal song and other surprises.
How many interviews have you answered and how’s the response on "Earth's Necropolis" from the media and the fans so far? Are you satisfied?
This is the second interview. The first was done for the German magazine Legacy, which also did an awesome review of the record and we got 13 points out 15! All the other reviews are pretty much good, the response is great, and we really want to get our music to the ears of most of the metal maniacs out there.
"Earth's Necropolis" is a killer recording with great ideas, perfect drumming, great guitar riffs and on the top great vocals from your side. Would you call The Wake original or how would you describe the brand of Black Metal you are playing?
Thank you. XII is a totally great musician! I am glad I have met him in this life and had the opportunity to rediscover myself as well through his glorious notes. The first parallel with The Wake I have heard was that we sound like Extol, and this gave me such a huge satisfaction as I love this band. I could say that we are kind of original because we are simple, unique personalities and our perseverance in music can be noted.
It seems to be quite complicated when band members are scattered across different countries. How does that work for The Wake when talking about song writing and stuff like that? Do you have one composer, or it is a matter of the whole band? Please tell something about the recording process of "Earth's Necropolis".
XII writes the music and I could say that there is a sort of connection as we’ve been friends for 13 years. This record was done during eight years because of many mental situations, but the first two songs were done in 2009 and we kind of followed unconsciously that musical pattern. Lyrics were written in like 10 years as I hunted the Dadaism technique. So, everything was great in terms of writing “Earth’s Necropolis”.
For me personally you are an original enough band. Although your music is built on the old Death/Black, it is hard to compare you with some big names, even in the review I didn't mention any similar band. Do you think you are an original band?
From my point of view as a vocalist and lyricist, I would mention my influences and then you could say if I am in the right sense or not. As I mentioned before that I am inspired by the Norwegian band Extol, I am also addicted to Zao, Iron Monkey and Neurosis. Combining these acts with the admixture of XII metals, I can definitely say that we are original.
Your debut is exceedingly succeeded, it is a well composed, even I like also the technical side and the atmosphere. What is your view on it now? Would you have changed something?
No! What I wanted to change I did it already during the production process. I am more than satisfied with the result. I really can’t wait to make new music.
I appreciate the amazing sound you have reached on the debut, I would use words like dark, cold, frosty, creepy. Have you had any clear idea of your sound before entering the studio?
You used the perfect words. The reality is that when we talked and formed the project, we were in a dark, cold, frosty, creepy room on the coast of the Black Sea in Romania. There was a bizarre conversation between the two of us at that moment, meaning that we both wanted this music to get out of us, and it did!
Feelings of darkness, horror, madness and a bizarre, constant beat in your music. If someone doesn’t feel a huge rush of darkness in your music, there would be probably something wrong. How much important is the atmosphere in your music? Many bands try to achieve the atmosphere using a variety of unconventional tools, female vocals, sound, but you did it using only classic instruments and your own inventiveness...
That’s right! While in the studio we used all our unconscious abilities in performing dark and mad music as we felt it. That was definitely very important in the process. But there are some electronic elements which were used in the production and mixing in order to have this wall of sound.
What themes do your lyrics deal with? The name "Earth's Necropolis" sounds mysteriously enough, could you say something more about it and about the author of the lyrics?
“Earth’s Necropolis” is the first song written, and the last words are “earth come, take them”. As you can notice, I deal with lyrics in the death sphere, and probably more talking about it and externalizing it through music cleans my body and mind.
How do you see the Metal today, in general? Do you think this music is still developing or is it rather in the dead end? Which albums are the most important ones for you, which ones influenced and inspired you the most?
Metal goes great each year. I really can’t complain. Judas Priest released a new record yesterday and it’s fabulous. We had Anvil, Howling Sycamore and Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals in January, Legend Of The Seagullmen and Night In Gales in February, and upcoming records from Light The Torch, Monster Magnet and Will Haven this month. Which albums influenced and inspired me is a very a hard question as it can get different answers with every year, but I would mention three of them, which can’t be demolished: Metallica – “...And Justice For All”, Pantera – “Vulgar Display Of Power”, Zao – “Where Blood And Fire Bring Rest”.
Many fans today claim there is nothing new in Black Metal and Metal general, coming up with that the best things originated in the ‘80s/’90s. What do you think about these statements?
We do new stuff, so the statements are wrong! If we go in history, we could say that music in general was done in the ‘70s, so these genres are infantile in the end. They took one note from the past and repeated it exaggeratedly. What was new back then? I really feel that these genres emerged from the impotence of playing like certain bands such as Judas Priest and Mercyful Fate, for example. Today is not the same, they evolved. Many fans claim what they can, not-profound affirmations!
You have released it under the auspices of the Loud Rage Music label. How did you get to them and how satisfied are you with their work?
Loud Rage Music is a Romanian label which does an excellent job for the Romanian bands and not only. They took care of us with our first record and we appreciate that!
Of course, I like to know if you have some proper plans to perform live with The Wake, especially when it comes to Poland, where you can and get wasted with cheap Polish alcohol.
We really do not know. Time will tell. You can get cheap alcohol everywhere in the world I think. Next day you can get ruined after some inexpensive spirits!
Thanx for the chat! Where do you see yourself going with The Wake? The final closing words are up to you, here we go...
Thank you! I hope we can make records with The Wake until death will separate us! Check out www.bloodandfire.ro and get your copy of “Earth’s Necropolis” which has a special insert in it, hand-numbered by the Romanian surrealist artist Costin Chioreanu! There are only 100 copies worldwide!
Link: Absit Omen