1. How long ago did you decide to create the band and why did you choose the name Vox Malorum?
I started writing the music for the demo in December 2016 and the songs you hear were completed sometime in June 2017. As the songs started to take shape and sound, the vocals felt creepy and sounded a bit otherworldly to me. Combined with the lyrics, the presentation felt very full of evil intent and hopes for mankind. With some basic study and consulting a Latin professor, I settled on 'Vox Malorum' as a name that translated into something like 'the voice of evil' or 'the voice of evil men'.
2. Vox Malorum is presented as a one man band, is it something that has been clear since the beginning or contemplates the possibility of adding new members in the future even if only to be able to offer a concert?
The initial intention was to create the demo as something to present to the local musicians as a way of finding people to play with. I wanted to have something to show outside of saying, "hey, let's jam sometime!" I think most of the people around here who heard it didn't know I played anything at all. The way I wrote the songs was for them to be easily represented by 5 musicians on stage. 2 guitars, bass, drums, and keys. So, no, the intent was never to stay a solo project, it was an actual call to arms for any warriors willing. There is always a possibility to make Vox Malorum a live presentation, but I have yet to properly sit down for 4 other musicians and play these songs. The experiment was a success though, as it helped create relationships that led to the formation of a separate pagan folk metal project to be revealed this year hopefully.
3. "A Call to Arms" is his first demo, contains four tracks that he defines as "only black metal", sounds crude and direct, with a certain dose of epic and that in general is very close to the Scandinavian scene of the years ninety, impossible not to make this comparison. Do you agree with this definition? What have been your main influences when working on this demo?
I absolutely agree. The music from that region, especially in the 90s, continues to get regular play on my stereo even today. The reason I described the demo as black metal alone is simply because I'm not very well versed in the sub-genre terminology, nor am I a big fan of labeling things in general. I get the desire to categorize, but to me, it's just black metal. I actually tried not to imitate any other band in particular while recording these tracks, but in making what kind of music I wanted to hear I guess it's inevitable that that energy will seep through the final product. I like to hear what band or album people say my music resembles. During the recording of the demo I was listening to a lot of early Demoncy, Void Meditation Cult, Immortal, Satanic Warmaster, Necrophobic, Burzum, Death Worship, Black Witchery ... I hear touches of the bands I love, but I'm not sure if the songs sound just like them. I hope that isn't the case.
4. Death, battles and misanthropy are themes that are dealt with in the lyrics of the songs, where do you get the inspiration to write the lyrics and why do you think it is interesting to write about these topics?
These subjects are sources of positive mental flow for me. I feel energized by songs about going into battle, standing by your convictions even into death. By being aware of my impermanence, I feel I am better equipped to live a more enriching and meaningful life. These are the sort of thoughts that give me positive energy, at least positive by my point of view. The modern world that we all share and live in is very much a suffocating clusterfuck that can very quickly sap the energy out of an independent thinker. The misanthropic themes in my music are reflections of the mass herds of cattle that perpetuate this cycle of mental and spiritual decomposition. These themes and lyrics represent the shadow side of my attempt at maintaining balance in life. There are a few glimpses into my spirituality, which I almost exclusively keep secret to myself. Future lyrics will explore those aspects a little more as time goes on.
5. How was the process of composition and recording of the demo ?, When having to take care of the recording of all instruments, which has been more complicated to record? What brand of instruments have you used?
I would write the songs on guitar first, and then add a temporary programmed drum track. This allowed me the opportunity to experiment with different rhythms and expressions without having another person to jam the riffs with. Next came bass and then keys to accent melody and chill the atmosphere a bit. I then recorded the live drum sounds in a friend's basement and changed them out for the programmed drum sounds. The lyrics were written right after the guitar, but not recorded until the very end. All four tracks' vocals were recorded under a full moon, out far from my city, in the middle of the woods, where the river runs red. The most complicated thing to record was the drums. I had to come up with some unique ways to present the drum sound I wanted. The instrument brands I used were Gibson Les Paul, Schecter 5-string bass, M-AUDIO midi controller, Gretsch Catalina drums, and all the vocals were recorded on an iPhone in the woods, haha.
6. There is an element that has led to some confusion in the sound of the demo and is none other than that of the battery, which seems programmed in some section, however this is not true could you clarify a bit how the battery was recorded of the demo "A Call to Arms"?
The initial temporary track was made from individual recorded sounds from an old Alesis drum machine. I would then give each element its own track and then arrange them how I wanted until I was ready to record live drum sound. I only had a single microphone to record the live drum kit, so I came up with the idea to record each element individually and then move the sound around the headphones as if they were being heard from the seat behind the drums. I would record the hi-hat for all four tracks, set up the microphone over the snare and record the snare drum for all four tracks, and then the same for each cymbal. The drum fills were recorded separately on one mic after that. The only non-live programmed sound on the drum track is the bass drum. I was dealing with a work-related knee injury during that time, so using the Alesis bass drum sound was the only option for me. I plan to continue using this method for the next release I'm working on, but I may move to a full live drum recording after then. After all, it was an awful lot of work, but I'm more or less pleased with the way it turned out given what I was working with.
7. As I mentioned before your music conforms to the definition of "only black metal", I suppose that under this concept there will be no room for other styles or genres such as post-black, progressive black, etc., what do you think? These new currents within the genre? What would be your definition of black metal?
There is definitely room for other styles, but I suppose that's up to the interpretation of the listener. At the end of the day, I'm not well versed in what makes this post or progressive, so I can't say for sure one way or the other. To me, black metal has always been about a combination of the intention and the atmosphere created by the music. There are some very lo-fi recordings that create a more vivid atmosphere than some fine-tuned and well produced albums, but I like examples of each. I think intention is the most important thing of all, and when it comes through and it vibes with you, it's right. While I latch onto lyrics, sometimes they take the backseat to the emotion and ambiance the music evokes. It's difficult for me to describe in words, but I'll say: strength, pride, courage, balance. These seem to be the core ideals at the base of the music I make. Who am I to say what it could mean to someone else, though?
8. How were your beginnings in music, first concerts, first cds you bought? Why did you decide to play an instrument and dedicate yourself to music one day?
I have always listened to all sorts of music. My dad taught me three chords on the guitar when I was 11, and I started playing next to the radio when I was 14. When I think back to the first albums I ever bought, given the choice when I was 9 or 10, it was either GNR's Appetite For Destruction or Prince's Diamonds and Pearls, haha! As far as metal though, the first CD I ever bought was Immortal's Battles In The North. That cover was really something among all the other CDs, so I bought it instantly. From there I checked out the Norwegian staples, and expanded to bands from all over the world and I still find older music today I've never heard of. I can't remember the reason I decided to start playing music, it just happened and the creative process feels about as necessary as breath to me. It's just part of who I am.
9. What can you tell us about the Lexington musical scene? What was the last album that was purchased?
The Lexington metal scene is something I've come to love. There are some exceptional local underground talents and our local bars have played host to bands from all over the world thanks to them. Lexington is also the home of the annual Blood of the Wolf Fest, which just had it's fourth edition last month. Bands to check out from our city: Tombstalker, Astralnaut, Black Knife, Apocryphal Revelation, Master's Curse, Pyromancer, Rotting Kingdom. The last album I bought was All Hell's The Grave Alchemist from the festival last month.
10. "A Call to Arms" has been edited in digital format and is available on your bancamp page, are there possibilities that in a future it will be reissued in other formats?
It has been released on cassette by Black Abyss Productions in the Netherlands as of February. They sold out of all of their copies on the first day, but I will soon have a very limited number available from the Vox Malorum bandcamp page. As far as reissues, there are no others currently planned, but there is an opportunity if there is an interest.
11. Are you working on new topics to give continuity to the demo soon or at the moment there is no possibility of shortly editing new material?
I have actually finished writing material for the next release which will give continuity to the demo. I am currently working on the tracking now, and hope to have it out this year. I have no details to share on it at the moment, but it will definitely be a progression of the journey presented in A Call To Arms. I am also writing music for a planned full length to follow that upcoming release and have already completed writing a few songs as well as a concept outline. Vox Malorum is only just beginning, and I'm looking forward to revealing more of it's energy to the collective consciousness over time.
12. Thank you very much for taking the time to Black Metal Spirit, if you want to add something for the followers of Vox Malorum, this is the place. I hope the questions are to your liking.
Anyone who wants to stay up to date on this project can follow the Bandcamp page , the Vox Malorum page on Facebook, or just email me directly at voxmalorumband@gmail.com. Until then, make your own footprints in the snow, carve your own path, and worship death. -- Shinigami.
LP
1. The Soundless Music of the Lake
2. A Funeral Procession on the Milky Way
3. The Man from the Past
4. Moorsong
5. Thoughts Most Nocturnal
6. The Three Brothers
HAZTE CON ÉL EN : BLACK METAL SPIRIT STORE O DISCOGS
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