Interview for Hell Awaits, March 2004

Hello Tom! How are you?

I'm doing well Ilia thanks for asking. And yourself?

What are you listening to right now?

Lately, I've been listening to a new rough mix of our song "Vast Oceans Lachrymose;" we just recorded a demo of it, and I'm trying to adjust the mix to my liking. It's a pre-production recording of the title track of our next all-new album. Other than that, some classics from Cirith Ungol, Sacrifice, Manilla Road, my favorite new band Battle Ram, and Woods Of Ypres, a black metal band from Canada that we're probably going to take on a forthcoming tour.

When was the last time you listened to your own music?

Well aside from the rough mix I mentioned, I probably spin "Empires" once every couple weeks, just to see how I feel about it as time goes on, and to help develop some arrangements for the upcoming gigs.

Apart from being an absolutely stunning album, the first word that sprang to mind when I first heard your latest piece of work is 'soul'. You might not blast like maniacs or sing about beheading swine, yet the emotions the album conveys are undoubtedly extreme and very honest. The music is beautiful, yet it appears to spring from very dark experiences. This might sound like a bit of an odd question: Are you happy about the very misery you sometimes channel into music? Would you argue that a certain amount of happiness is needed in one's life to write and perform this music without kicking the bucket before the task is even accomplished?

I wouldn't go so far as to say that I'm ever happy to be anguished - sorrow, however beautifully portrayed is still not the most pleasant thing to feel. Really, I don't enjoy feeling anything negative, and perhaps in some way WHW helps me to purge those feelings constructively, allowing me to maintain a generally positive attitude in other areas of my life. There was a time that I was perpetually depressed and suicidal, which was reflected in the material on our first album (which was extremely bleak), but I've definitely overcome all of that. Sure there are wounds that never completely heal along with new tribulations, but I'm just better prepared to deal with these things now. Regarding happiness being necessary to counter the negative things in life, I suppose that is true to some extent, but at the same time, it also defines sadness. The state of equilibrium does apply to all things.  

What exactly made you want to be a musician in the first place?

I come from a fairly musical family, and those who didn't play instruments were always playing records instead. It's just a natural thing really. Eventually I came to realize how much of a solace music provides as well.

One of my most pleasant revelations upon listening to "Of Empires Forlorn" is the fact that it consists largely of material spanning different eras of WHW, yet it manages to capture a vibe that is consistent throughout the entire work; the album flows beautifully. I understand much of this material has been depurated and transformed throughout years until you were reasonably satisfied with it. Would you care to elaborate on how this process developed, and to what extent you feel it has contributed to your satisfaction with the final result?

Being that WHW has existed in one form or another for the better part of 15 years, and considering how few releases we've had, naturally we have a large body of unreleased material from the past, in addition to all the new works that develop. Ultimately my goal is to capture the definitive versions of every song in the studio recordings, meaning the most accurate realization of what I heard in my head originally. Of course, the songs mature over the years, and I allow them to grow. For the most part I think all of the songs on "Of Empires Forlorn" have evolved into very mature compositions, thus there is little that I would change at this point. We'll continue to revisit our back catalogue until I feel that we have captured everything in its finest form, and I think that will be accomplished within the next year or so. The reason all the material new and old flows together so well is that it was all born from true emotion, and also many of our songs were first conceived in the same timeframe. Needless to say, "Of Empires Forlorn" is probably the first time I've ever been pleased with a recording, and I'd say it is in fact the most accurate representation of WHW so far.

Which aspects of the album are you most satisfied with, and why? Which track or tracks would you single out as your most preferred?

I'm satisfied with the "Of Empires Forlorn" album on almost every level - the quality and honesty of the material, the performance, and the production. We spent an inordinate amount of time and money recording this album, making sure it was in fact as accurate as it possibly could be (based upon my original visions), and I think we achieved this. It's hard for me to ever single out any tracks because they're all my children, but I would say that at least "Of Empires Forlorn" and "Soulsadness" are among our greatest compositions of all time in that they truly are representative of WHW. "Voice In The Wind" also turned out well, and it was kind of "my baby" on this album, but it's not a completely original composition, since it's based on the Jane song of the same name.

The band has often been compared to Doom luminaries such as Candlemass and Revelation, although I think it is fair to say that, with the new outing, you have proved yourselves as a band with a sound that is very much WHW's own. Do you deem this to be a fair assessment?

Absolutely - we spent the better part of a decade developing our signature sound, and "Of Empires Forlorn" is the first example of it. Anytime a band starts up, one's influences will be more obvious, but hopefully with time, it will develop its own distinct characteristics. Now we can continue to vary the ratio of our elements, and still maintain our distinct sound I believe, without ever sounding too derivative.

This inevitably leads us to the current climate in Metal music. This is a topic I am very eager to discuss, knowing that you like to take your time when releasing work. This, in my view, is the most honest stance an artist can take (to himself and towards any potential listeners). I trust you are aware that the market is overcrowded with hundreds of labels forcing even more hundreds of bands to release albums periodically. Would you agree that Metal (and music in general) is becoming industrialised? Isn't Product Metal a bit depressing? Were Kraftwerk prophets ahead of their time? Why are people both making and listening to music so damn obsessed with immediate satisfaction?   

Aye, metal is in a bit of a sad state these days...it seems that the prefabrication method common to major labels/pop artists has found its way into our realms. It all has to do with trends really. It happened with the thrash movement, death metal, power metal, and now doom too. The labels fuel this plasticity by trying to cash in on the success of individuals. A prime example being this "happy Euro-metal" bullshit - Hammerfall came along, did extremely well and then Nuclear Blast signed anything remotely similar, flooding the market with shit, and then all the other labels did the same thing, trying to cash in and making it even worse! The only good thing about trends is that the saturation eventually kills them off. Unfortunately, most consumer sheep simply digest what they're being fed, which is why my mates and I strive to combat the bland products pimped to the masses any way we can (preferably with truly inspired, original music). I have no idea why all these cloned bands are so successful, especially in Europe; it makes more sense in the States, because it's a "fast food society" as I call it - people want instant gratification with the least amount of effort. They buy what they're sold here, and don't bother to investigate other options. The labels don't really support the distinctive artists until they are popular, so as a unique band your options are more limited until you do become a product. It's a catch-22, but really if you're making music out of necessity and love, then all this other shit doesn't matter. Still, basically the situation sucks, but thankfully we still have the underground! Kraftwerk and Pink Floyd as well were indeed prophetic, but there are still a lot of quality, original, inspired bands out there.

I can't abide by mentioning those vocals you've managed to pull off. They are amazing. Very expressive, well thought out and never unnatural. Your clean voice has come a long way since that split with Cold Mourning, and your Death Metal rasp only ever rears its head for a few seconds on the title track. What have you been drinking (I won't ask you about inhaling)?

Lots of super strength Belgian and micro-brewed beer, which is quite soothing after a toke of fine smoke! Surely the improvement in the vocals can't be attributed to any of that! Really I've found a more comfortable range in my higher register, and that probably helps the most. I'd gladly step aside if Jon Arch wanted to replace me though!

Vocal-wise, I have heard comparisons with both Michael Kiske and Dennis DeYoung from Styx, although, at this point in time, my brain interprets the vocals in "Of Empires Forlorn" as clearly superior (besides, only Helloween with Kai are real!). What do you tend to make of such comparisons? Do they make you laugh?

I personally don't rate myself that highly, so those comparisons are very flattering. My thing is that my favourite singers - Jon Arch, Geoff Tate, Bruce Dickinson, Steve Perry (etc.) are all amazing, but they set the bar pretty high. I'd be happy if I even possessed half of their talents. The best I can do is delivering my lyrics with as much passion as I can. I'll never be in that upper echelon.

You have yet another a fairly recent line-up change (in the guitar department, if memory serves). *PREDICTABLE QUESTION ALERT* How is it all coming together with the band's most recent incarnation?

Hmmmm...we haven't really had a line-up change that recently (amazingly); this line-up has been intact since 1999, apart from Jason joining us on drums in 2001. I would say that this is the best line-up so far, and I really enjoy and appreciation playing with these guys (and lady). We will have Angelo from Cold Mourning playing guitar with us on tour since Scott can't make it, but that isn't really permanent.

I understand you have re-released your previous material in a double-gatefold vinyl in a fairly limited edition. Are you happy that this format (vinyl, that is) appears to be making a slow but steady comeback? Are there any plans to re-release these albums on CD?

I wouldn't say vinyl is really making a comeback...it's definitely a cult thing these days, and I'm a member! I still buy lots of records in addition to all the CD's. Apart from the better artwork, vinyl has a warmth you cannot duplicate otherwise. Plus, it's much easier to find things like Brocas Helm on vinyl as opposed to CD! As for our back catalogue, the original recordings will remain out-of-print as I have no interest in making those inferior recordings widely available ever again. We will however re-record our first album "Sorrow Of The Angels" later this year and it will contain enough bonus material to double its length.

After about 14 line-up changes in about half as many years, I understand you are now once again a member if Solstice. Will this collaboration extend to recorded output and live performances? How will you cope with geographical divide issues? (Note: I am assuming you are still based in the States, please feel free to throw bottles at me in Belgium if I am wrong- preferably full ones though).    

At the moment there isn't much happening on the Solstice front, as I'm busy with WHW and Rich is working on his Isen Torr project primarily, but when the time comes we will definitely record the "To Sol A Thane" EP, and it's possible that we'll do some very select live shows. Most of the current line-up lives here in the States, so Rich will come here to record, and we'll head overseas for any shows. Who knows when we'll get to this though!

2004 will finally see you over in Europe for some much-awaited live performances. I read that you have to save a lot in order to make this happen. You must be looking forward to it. Will you be playing the Dutch Doom Fest, in addition to Belgium? How do you feel about your imminent visit to these shores?

Our journey there is indeed long overdue! We belong in Europe with our friends and fans! It's taken more than a decade to sort this out, but the timing is right I think, and its worth every penny (we are self-financing the tour). We're booked to play in Germany quite a bit (including the Doom Shall Rise II festival), Belgian Doom Night, and a couple shows in Holland, though I'm not sure if they are the same thing as the DDD; I know one is called Day Of The Cross, and it features WHW, Esoteric, Officium Triste, and Whispering Gallery. Needless to say, we are very much looking forward to everything! It will be like coming home!

Please feel free to add anything that you deem of relevance to end this interview.

Well, "Of Empires Forlorn" should now be available in most stores in Europe, so it is a hell of a lot easier to obtain than our previous releases! We're already planning more tours/trips overseas and we'll have a couple new releases by early 2005! Anyone seeking more information or the latest news can always peruse our website www.whileheavenwept.net .

Thank you most kindly, Tom!

Thank you Ilia! For the support and opportunity to talk about WHW! Thanks to all of our friends and fans everywhere too!