Here is a new interview with the Texas funeral death/doom band "The Howling Void" who discusses the bands newest release and the bands history and future. If you are a fan of this type of doom then defintly check out his bandcamp and other sites.
Patrick
fiendformetal@live.com
Interview with R. vocalist and all instruments for The Howling Void done by Patrick
1.Hello R. how are things going with you these days? Please introduce yourself to the readers?
Things are going alright; neither good nor bad, which is just fine with me. My name is R. and I'm the sole member of The Howling Void. I've been writing and releasing strange music for various projects for about the last sixteen years or so.
2.When did you first get the idea to form The Howling Void and how did you decide on the band name?
The idea to blend dark and crawling funeral doom with ethereal choir and string synths probably originated when I first heard Emperor's "In the Nightside Eclipse" a long time ago. I was moved very profoundly by the orchestration of that album and at that point I knew that I wanted to blend darkness and light in the same way, so to speak. The name of the band can refer to many things, but it refers primarily to the pre-natal and post-mortal darkness that lies on either side of our brief, fleeting lives.
3.The Howling Void is getting ready to release the band's fifth cd "The Triumph Of Ruin" How long did it take you to write and record the songs on the new cd?
I was actually quite fortunate to be struck by a kind of surge of inspiration when I wrote "The Triumph of Ruin", and I think the entire process from writing to recording took about a month. Past albums have taken significantly longer, usually due to recurring bouts of writers' block. Before the inspiration hit for this album, in fact, I had spent several months trying and failing to come up with new ideas for the project, but suddenly the inspiration hit and I scrambled madly to get it all written down.
4.Which usually comes first the music or the lyrics. And what are some subjects you explore on "The Triumph Of Ruin"?
The music always comes first, but the music itself is always inspired by imagery, either mental or visual. I usually envision landscapes of one sort or another, and then try to write music that "takes me there". The lyrical subjects on this latest album all revolve around the idea of cycles and eternal return. The title of the album is actually loaded with a few meanings that relate to this. Namely, the triumph of ruin is the fact that everything dies and everything is temporary, no matter how vital it may be right now. However, ruin and death are not absolute endings but rather the catalyst for new life and new beginnings. Thus, the "triumph" of ruin is actually kind of ironic, because ruin doesn't really win out: it only leads to more life. But if you dislike life, well, there really isn't any good news there.
5.This is The Howling Void's fifth release how do you feel the music has evolved over the years?
Personally I think that every album has a very different sound, but I know most people think all of my albums sound the same. The greatest evolution of my sound started with the "Runa" EP where I tossed the growls and started working themes from traditional Celtic/Germanic folk music into the compositions. I feel like "The Triumph of Ruin" represents the sound that this project has always been evolving towards.
6.Besides the new release "The Triumph Of Ruin" do you currently have any of the past releases or any other merchandise available for the readers? And if yes where can the readers buy it?
All of my releases are available digitally on my bandcamp site (http://thehowlingvoid.bandcamp.com) but physical copies are available from the labels and from various distros around the world. For the latest album I would recommend going straight to Avantgarde Music and ordering the digipak from them. The artwork came out beautifully.
7.Have you ever had the interest to make a video for any of your songs? If you could do a video of one of the new songs which song would you like to see made into a video?
I don't have a lot of interest in making videos, but that's mainly because I haven't spent much time thinking about it. I suppose that a video could possibly create a more memorable or moving experience for a certain song, but I would need someone who is more visually oriented than I am to make all of that happen. I just write music; I sometimes struggle to explain or express myself verbally or visually, so I do it all through music. I think that "Where Once A River Flowed" could possibly benefit from such an arrangement.
8.Have you ever thought of adding more members to The Howling Void or do you prefer to work alone?
I always prefer to work alone due to my generally reclusive nature. I wouldn't mind playing live at some point, in which case I have several musicians lined up to become the live version of The Howling Void. Sadly, though, the opportunity just hasn't presented itself yet.
9.If you had the opportunity to work with any musicians{past or present} who would you like to work with?
That's a difficult question to answer because there are so many possible answers. I'd rather not name living musicians because they would probably be embarrassed to be mentioned in the same sentence as a nobody like me, but as for the dead? Giacinto Scelsi. I would love to have been able to watch him compose.
10.Besides The Howling Void are you currently working with any other bands?
Yes, I'm constantly writing music for several different projects at once. Lately I've been writing material for Pneuma Hagion, which is an ominous black/death metal project of mine which recently released a demo cassette on Nuclear War Now! Productions. In addition, I have kept busy lately writing new stuff for a few other projects such as Serpentine Tunnels and Intestinal Disgorge.
11. R. you handle the vocals for the band when did you first become interested in singing? Do you do anything special to keep your throat and voice healthy?
I've never considered myself to be a singer, but I recently fell in love with the sound of gregorian chants and, really, any chant-oriented music. I wanted to try and capture the hypnotic atmosphere created by those types of vocals and add it to the sound of The Howling Void. I don't do anything to keep my voice and throat healthy, which is a shame because over the past twenty years or so I have done lots of damage to my voice (it goes out quickly when I scream and growl these days). The strain on my voice is probably a contributing factor to why I've tried to rely more heavily on singing/chanting than screaming.
12.You also handle all the instruments when did you first start playing music? What were the first instruments you learned to play?
My first instrument was the drum kit, which I picked up in elementary school. I took a few lessons and enrolled in the percussion section of my middle school band, but that is the extent of my formal training. Also in middle school I picked up my brother's guitar and taught myself to play it. I did the same with the bass and the piano later on. I'm pretty much an autodidact when it comes to music, which has both advantages and disadvantages.
13.Are their any instruments you would like to learn to play someday?
Too many to name. I'd love to learn to play all instruments if I could.
14.When not writing new music or working on band business what do you enjoy doing in your free time?
I spend the majority of my time working and writing music. So, if I'm not at work or writing music, you can usually find me reading a book. I'm very reclusive and have had very little contact with the outside world in recent years, so reading is usually what I do to pass the time.
15.Thank you R. for taking the time to fill this interview out. Do you have any final words for the readers?
Thank you for the interview; I'm always honored to be considered. I would also like to thank the readers for taking the time to read this interview, and if they are interested in my music I would encourage them to visit my bandcamp page. I hope that they find something meaningful in my compositions.
Band Contact
http://thehowlingvoid.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/TheHowlingVoid/
Label Contact
http://www.avantgardemusic.com/
