Interview for Metal Domination, October 2003

1.First of all, tell me briefly about the history of "While Heaven Wept"?

We formed in 1989 out of the ashes of a Power Metal band called Polaris with the intention of combining a plethora of influences from Thrash and Doom Metal to Progressive and even Classical Music. Line-up changes have been pretty much constant since the beginning, and the actual name While Heaven Wept was decided upon in 1991. It was at this point that the music became much more bleak, although it had always been fairly dark and introspective. In 1994, we released our first 7" "Into The Wells Of Sorrow," a compilation-only track "The Mourning," and our first demo "Lovesongs Of The Forsaken," which was released as our debut CD the following year. In 1998 the very depressive "Sorrow Of The Angels" album was released on Italy's Eibon Records and garnered much critical acclaim. 5 years later we finally unveiled the long-awaited follow-up "Of Empires Forlorn," initially released again on Eibon for Valentine's Day 2003 as a limited edition. The unlimited pressing's release is imminent on October 27, 2003 via the UK label Rage Of Achilles. We've also released a 2LP Anthology "Chapter One: 1989-1999," and a handful of 7" singles. Our current plans include a spring 2004 tour of Europe and more recordings.

2.Tell me some details about your latest CD "Of Empires Forlorn"?

"Of Empires Forlorn" was recorded throughout 2002, and features predominantly new material, but does include a couple older songs resurrected from the 1994 demo as well as two fairly obscure interpretations - one is a Swedish hymn, the other an adaptation of a 1977 song by the obscure German symphonic rock band Jane. We did not spare any expense or cut a single corner in the realization of this album, and it ended up costing quite a bit of money to produce, but because of the amount of time and money we invested, it's the first release of mine from any band that I am pretty content with. As far as the music itself, I feel like we've passed the "developmental" stages presented on our previous releases in the respect that we now have a sound that is distinctly While Heaven Wept. Some people have even gone so far as to say that it sounds like Candlemass, Bathory, Styx, and Bach! It's definitely the most successful realization out of any While Heaven Wept release in my opinion, and as I said, I'm very happy with how it turned out.

3.Is there any feedback from your audience about this CD?

The reactions to "Of Empires Forlorn" all over the world, so far, have been nothing short of storming! We knew we worked hard on the album, and we felt like it was something really special, but having extremely positive feedback from our fans new and old alike is very reassuring and gratifying. Many people have gone so far as to say "Of Empires Forlorn is one of the Top 5 Doom Metal albums of all time", "The best Doom Metal album of 2003," or even "The Holy Grail Of Doom Metal," which is completely insane to hear! We are obviously very happy that it's had such a massive reception and is receiving such high accolades, but we really have no idea how it will stand the test of time. Hopefully, "Of Empires Forlorn" won't just be a brief phenomenon, but even if it is, we're absolutely ecstatic with the response it's received.

4.What is the procedure when you write the songs?

The ideas come at any given time, so there is no real rhyme or reason to be honest. All of the songs musically and lyrically develop through revelation rather than force, thus some may take years to form, while others may come forth as complete thoughts. After the basic structures have materialized, I'll actually sit down and develop the final arrangements for all the other instruments, then as a band we'll sort out the final nuances and such.

5.What are your lyrics referring to?

All of the lyrics of While Heaven Wept revolve around my own life experiences. The early material referred to the demise of a specific relationship, whereas the "Empires" album discusses events, relationships, and circumstances of the years since. While I incorporate a lot of religious and otherwise fantastic imagery, it's strictly metaphorical. Nevertheless, everything we sing about is very real and heartfelt, and that is what further separates us from a lot of other Doom bands we're often associated with.

6.Have you already played any gigs? And what was your favorite live show?

While Heaven Wept rarely performs live because of the personal nature of the material, as well as the massive amount of equipment we use (being a live band of 6-7 members at least) - smaller venues that usually cater to underground music simply don't have enough space usually! Generally, our live appearances are limited to larger festivals, but we did perform a series of concerts in support of the "Sorrow Of The Angels" album in 1999, as well as a couple gigs this year for "Empires" (one was the Born Too Late Festival, the first all-Doom Metal event in the USA). Probably the best show we've personally performed was the last one, which also included our sister band Twisted Tower Dire (I was their original singer, Jim our bassist is theirs too, and various members of TTD have played in WHW over the years); the audience was singing along with all the songs, and we delivered a very powerful, energetic performance having omitted a lot of the slower material due to time constraints as well as the billing. We'll be touring Europe in the spring of 2004 and that will include 3 separate festival appearances, so I am sure some of the best gigs of our career will occur throughout that journey.

7.Your influences from the Metal scene?

Talking strictly about Metal here, our initial influences included early Fates Warning, early Manowar, "Viking-era" Bathory, Candlemass, early Queensryche, Slayer, Coroner, Celtic Frost, Voivod, Black Sabbath, Trouble, and Witchfinder General (and still do!). As far as contemporary Metal influences, they range from The Devin Townsend Band to Arcturus and even Immortal. An important thing to consider though is that there are just as many non-Metal artists exerting influence upon WHW; everything from the Kosmiche Musik of Klaus Schulze, Tangerine Dream, Kitaro, to Classical Music like Bach, Wagner, Chopin, and Beethoven, to all things Prog (King Crimson, Anyone's Daughter, Van Der Graaf Generator, Camel, Pulsar, etc.).

8.Tell me something about the CD cover.

Like the majority of our releases, the cover features the art of Gustave Dore, famous for his woodcuts depicting scenes from classic literature including "Paradise Lost," Dante's "Divine Comedy," and The Bible. We chose this rare painting of his because the images were very similar to some of those in the lyrics of the title track; the visions of carnage, death, blood, fire, and agony are absolutely perfect for this album.

9.Tell me your favorite album and your favorite band?

This is one of those "unanswerable questions" really, because I listen to so much music from so many genres, it's virtually impossible. The best I can do is give you a short list that will demonstrate what I mean:

Fates Warning - "Awaken The Guardian," "Spectre Within"
Journey - "Infinity," "Departure," "Trial By Fire"
Candlemass - "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus," "Nightfall"
Devin Townsend - "Ocean Machine," "Terria," "Accelerated Evolution"
Immortal - "At The Heart Of Winter," "Sons Of Northern Darkness," "Pure Holocaust"
Arcturus - "La Infernale Masquerade," "The Sham Mirrors"
Manowar - "Into Glory Ride," "Hail To England"
Slayer - "Show No Mercy" through "Seasons In The Abyss"
Sacrifice - "Forward To Termination"
Queensryche - "Queensryche" through "Promised Land"
Rush - everything up to "Signals"
Autopsy - "Severed Survival," "Mental Funeral,"

Really the list is endless…I might be able to do a top 200 though <laughing>. Hey, I've got about 6,000 CD's and that does not even get into the vinyl, tapes, and singles!

10.Where are you from?

Currently, I reside in Northern Virginia, just 30 minutes south of Washington DC, where I spent most of my youth, but I've lived all over the US, and in the UK as well. I intend to relocate at some point in the near future however, and personally, I'd prefer to move to Europe permanently, where my music and I truly belong.

11.Tell me your opinion about the Metal scene in your country?

I am not really a fan of most American bands in the contemporary sense; most of them are just band imitations of European bands, often 2 years after that style became passé! There are a few that I enjoy and support like Twisted Tower Dire, The Lord Weird Slough Feg, Hammers Of Misfortune, Orodruin, Arghoslent, and Grand Belial's Key, but the vast majority are of no interest to me. Mind you, there are plenty of classic bands from here that I do enjoy - Fates Warning, Cirith Ungol, Manilla Road, Brocas Helm, Attacker, but they never play here, and it makes sense considering there is no support for TRUE METAL here. The media and labels tend to focus on the latest trends, and the majority of the American public happily devours whatever they are force-fed. So to answer your question, I don't have a very good opinion about the American Metal scene, but there are a fair amount of fans of True Metal here…they just don't have many options to see bands, discover new ones, or even buy their music here apart from going online or looking to Europe. But hasn't that always been the case?

12.What are your plans for the future of the band?

As mentioned previously, our immediate plans following the release of the "Empires" album in a couple weeks include the long overdue European tour in the spring that will take us through Greece, Hungary, Austria, Germany, Belgium, and The Netherlands, and then we'll do a couple festivals here in North America. We were already working on new material by the time we began recording "Of Empires Forlorn," so we plan to record that as soon as it is all complete - mind you we're definitely going to take our time and possibly compose a large number of songs to choose from for the final "Vast Oceans Lachrymose" tracklisting. Prior to "V.O.L.," we will be re-recording our 1998 album "Sorrow Of The Angels" with several bonus tracks, since it has already been out of print for years. The future is uncertain beyond that, but I am sure there will be more than enough material that we'll continue to develop after the release of "V.O.L."

13.Is Metal your way of life?

I've always battled for Metal my friend! <laughing> I am a defender of the faith! I'm a bit more open-minded than some of my colleagues, but that doesn't mean I eschew the leather, spikes, and chains! I've been listening to Metal as long as I can remember, and that will probably never change, even if over the years, I've opened my ears to other forms of music (primarily because I am a musician first and foremost, and the more tools I have to express myself, the better). I still hate rap, nu-metal, cockrock, gospel, techno, and for that matter, I am not a fan of wimpy power metal either!

14.How do you describe your music?

Probably the best description of our music would be "Symphonic and Progressive Epic Doom Metal, with strong Classical and Kosmiche influences."

15.If your music were an emotion, what would it be?

Our music personifies a microcosmic emotion that falls somewhere between glory and despair - clearly there are deep aspects of both, often simultaneously if that makes any sense. The music of While Heaven Wept is something of an aural paradox really.

16.If you had the chance to travel back in time, which period would you like to visit and why?

Probably the late 1960's and early 70's so I could catch all the phenomenal concerts I missed! Thankfully, I've managed to procure quite a few bootlegs over the years, but it's still not the same as seeing Hendrix, early Floyd, the original Crimson, or even a young Sabbath in the flesh. Apart from that, I wouldn't mind visiting any other period of time from the creation of the earth (which would probably be pretty amazing to witness stoned <laughing>) through the Renaissance and beyond. I'd have to say though, I am pretty content being alive in this era for the most part…at least I witnessed the heyday of the NWOBHM, the rise of Thrash and Death Metal!

17.In 6 months you will come to Greece for a live show, what do you expect for this event?

Absolute mania, drunkenness, and debauchery! I know damn well that the Greek metal brethren are among the wildest in the world…so it will be absolute bliss for us (provided anyone actually knows who we are!)! If nothing else, it will be great to play with our swordbrothers in Battleroar, and see the surprise on everyone's faces when they realize how fucking incredible Orodruin are (their album gives NO indication of how heavy or METAL they are live)! Plus, we will be delivering a career spanning set of power, energy, and emotion that may or may not ever be witnessed on Hellenic shores again! So I hope a lot of people will show up in Athens! We may even have another surprise guest if the organization goes smoothly…keep your ears open and check out www.estelle.gr/amn for the latest information.

18.Are you satisfied with the help from your label?

I'm pretty happy with all the labels that we work with…Maniacal, Eibon, and Metal Supremacy all release works of art that they believe in wholeheartedly. As for our relatively new relationship with the UK label Rage Of Achilles, it's a bit early to determine how successful and gratifying that endeavor will be, but if the way things are going already is any indication, I think it will work out well. I'll say this much: Duncan has followed through with everything he's promised to do so far, and is working (and has me working) hard on the advance promotion for "Of Empires Forlorn." So, considering that, at this early point I am very much satisfied with Rage Of Achilles.

19.Why did you choose such a "big" name for the band?

While Heaven Wept refers to a specific event related to the relationship I discussed earlier, and further described in the lyrics of the song "Sorrow Of The Angels." In short, in October of 1990, on a beautiful sunny day, I received a letter from my most beloved who'd recently moved away from here that articulated she'd "just given up" and that she "wasn't the only one in this world." This came as a brutal and unexpected blow to my heart and soul…I collapsed to the earth, pining in agony…and the sky turned black…erupting in tears and violence…and that is from where the name originates.

20.Thanks for your interview. Have I forgotten to ask you anything that you'd like to mention?

Thank you for the opportunity to express myself, I appreciate it very much. I think we've covered most of the pertinent information here, but I'd like to remind people one more time about the release of "Of Empires Forlorn" on Rage Of Achilles Records, the spring 2004 tour, and most importantly for Greece, our show in Athens on March 26th 2004! Anyone seeking more information about While Heaven Wept can peruse our websites www.whileheavenwept.net and www.mp3.com/whw or contact us directly through email at plomerus@hotmail.com or via snail mail at While Heaven Wept, c/o Tom Phillips, 4809 Lockwood Lane, Dale City, Virginia, 22193 USA.

Thanks and hail to all of our friends and fans!
Doom Onward!