D. - Woods of Desolation (30th December 2009)

Woods of Desolation is a fairly young project from Australia, creating Depressive Black Metal. They have a few releases out now, one of which is an album which is nothing short of a masterpiece and now that there's a new vocalist working with the project we sent some questions D.'s way.

1. Gegroet, some of the readers may know you from your work with Austere but can you first introduce us to Woods of Desolation.
Hello. Well, Woods of Desolation was formed in 2005, under this name we have publicly released 2 demos, 2 splits, a full-length and an EP.


2. P. knight was doing vocals and bass for Woods Of Desolation, with his being located in South West Wales, UK. How did that affect the recording procedure?
The distance between us didn't really drastically affect things at all. I would record the drums and guitars myself, then mail him the tracks to complete bass and vocals. Whilst this may of resulted in tracks taking longer to complete then the average band, this was never a huge problem for me.


3. How would you normally approach recording a song with Woods Of Desolation? I heard that some of it was improvised, is that true?
Correct. Up to and including the "Toward The Depths" full-length much was improvised. I would usually work alone on songs on an old acoustic guitar and play the riffs over and over again until I found something that worked for me, I would then go and improvise large parts of it during recording. I found this way of creating/recording best to allow me to be able to fully express honestly what I needed to whilst creating music. However, from the recently released "Sorh" EP and on future recordings there will not be any improvisation.


4. When you first came up with the idea of Woods Of Desolation, what made you decide to make a project with someone on the other side of the globe as opposed with someone locally? Was the distance the reason that P. knight is no longer in the band and replaced by Desolate?
When Wooods of Desolation started, I simply wanted NOTHING to do with any "scene" or be apart of anything, it existed purely for my own purposes and inner desires, and still does. I wanted to be able to create what I wanted, and needed to, alone, without any regard for anything or anyone else, which I couldn't do in previous local bands/projects. I had been in contact with P. Knight for a few years previously, so getting him involved was the right choice to make at the time, but getting someone locally, such as Desolate, makes things much easier to complete recordings and achieve the final idea's I have in my head etc.


5. I heard a few years ago that it snowed for the first time in over a century in some parts of Australia, Did this happen anywhere near you? I just ask while I wonder how much the climate where a band is located influences their sound. Your sound has such a desolate and lonely feeling to it, which generally makes me think of the empty lands in Wales or mountains of Scandinavia, what are your surrounding areas like and how do you feel they have affected you ith the music you create? Do you think it would be very different were you to live in say, Scandinavia or Scotland?
Well it does snow each winter in some parts of Australia, but the story you mention was indeed in area's that have not seen snow for a long time, unfortunately I did not get to see this...Where I currently reside you have the mountains a very short distance away from the coastline, whilst scenic-wise it may well be a decent location, my surrounding climate/area has a minimal influence on the creative process. What is reflected within my music is purely a reflection of myself, so if I was to live in Australia or Scandinavia etc the music would still have the same feeling(s) to it regardless of my location. Negativity, depression, hatred and similar emotions/views/feelings are not necessarily always relative to ones climate/geographical location, but more so to the individual creating the music.


6. The Woods Of Desolation album has a dark depressing feeling about it, unlike many other bands I have heard in a while it sends me into a trance when I listen to it. Does the music have a similar effect for you? Did you draw on any specific influences (musical, emotional, location) to create these trance inducing atmospheres?
When creating the music, yes. I have lost many hours whilst writing/recording material for Woods of Desolation. I do not like to listen to my work after it is finished for various reasons, so I can't really comment on what effect it has on me whilst listening to it afterwards.


7. I felt the newer material which I have heard with Desolate on vocals also sounded quite different musically, was this a result of losing P. Knight's input, or was there always an intention to progress Woods Of Desolation's sound since I felt the album was a big difference from the preceding demo.
All progress was just a natural occurrence over the years, there has never been, and never will be, a concious decision to change anything, not for myself and especially not for anyone else.


8. Can we expect further musical progression on future Woods of Desolation albums? Would you ever have any clean vocals in Woods of Desolation like we see in Austere?
I think musically we will no doubt progress further, but as said, it will not be a forced decision, whatever happens will just happen of it's own accord.


9. Do you think you would ever have more members join the ranks of Woods Of Desolation? Maybe, for instance, to create a full line up?
There is a strong possibility that I will recruit a drummer for future recordings instead of myself. I simply do not have time to play/practice drums anymore, nor do I think my drumming ability is up to the level I now require. Apart from this there is no need to recruit any other members at this stage, and I don't forsee this changing anytime soon.


10. I've seen The One play live with vocals, guitars and a drummer and this worked quite well, they created a dark atmosphere while paying. Would you consider playing live with Woods Of Desolation? If not with a permanent line up, perhaps with a live line up?
I have at times considered the possibility of performing live, but I do not think it will ever happen. Performing live is simply not something I enjoy, plus not too mention Woods of Desolation is a deeply personal creation, and not something I wish to "expose" to anyone else outside the band. I feel with music, especially Black Metal, alot of feeling/atmosphere is lost when performed live. I will always prefer to perform, create & listen to music by myself.


11. With the progression of music involved in Austere and Woods Of Desolation, how do you feel about the people adament with keeping Black Metal "the old way"? Do you think the scene needs more bands like Woods Of Desolation and Austere who push the boundaries of Black Metal or do you think there's a risk where the music you create stops being Black Metal, as happened with avantgarde "Black Metal" bands of the 90s such as Arcturus.
I do understand people who wish to keep Black Metal "the old way", but they need to realise, it is not up to them what the bands do. If the band wants to incorporate different elements outside the usual boundries, so be it, it is ultimately the creator's decision what they wish to do with their music. That said, I do not think or worry about this at all when creating my own music.


12. What can we look forward to seeing from Woods Of Desolation in the coming months or years?
I am currently writing a new full-length, I'm hoping to have it completed and recorded sometime in 2010, but time will tell.


13. Any last words, contact details or distros where your releases are available you'd like to share with the readers?
Thank you for the interview. The following distro's have releases/merchandise available:

www.eisenton.de
www.ruinproductions.com
www.darkadversary.com
www.hammerofdamnation.com.br

And contact can be made via the following avenues:
woodsofdesolation @ hotmail.com
www.myspace.com/woodsofdesolation

P. Knight - Odium (June 2009)

7 years since the last Odium interview I felt the need to sit P. Knight down once more to find out what's been happening over the last few years and how his musical endeavours have progressed. This is a more laid back and commical interview than any of the interviews on Terror Propaganda so far.


1. If you could wear anyone's skin, who's would it be? Why?
Anyone’s skin? Well, I’d have to go back to fictional times and get the baby Jesus so I could clone him. I'd make ten clones, wait till their all 8 months, kill em and skin em, maybe just skin em, let them grow old with no skin. No need to be mean and killing stuff. Then stitch them together to make a body suit. Why? I could slap midgets with the little arms and legs that hang from my suit.


2. List lyrics for your gayest song. What inspired you?
That would involve far too much digging about.


3. What's your favourite excuse when being caught fucking a headless corpse's maggot ridden rotting gash?
It’s always got to be blaming it on the demon in my cock.


4. Which cd was the biggest mistake you ever made buying?
It would have to be " satans hordes shall rise again - gather against humanity”


5. Haha you flaming homo, why not go out and buy an inflatable sexmandoll. but anyway, when did you create Odium? And why on earth do you make your music public?
Good question. First off, nothing i like more than purple headed womb ferrets pressed against my chocolate starfish and second, Ive far too many sexmandolls. All of em broken due to being hit with cum covered hammers and slashed with cut-throat razors. Public, only to those who choose to buy or trade. Maybe I should have kept it all to my self, but then why not spread the nightmares? It was created 1,998 years after little jesus first wet the bed. Why? Who knows? A calling..... for more crap.


6. Tell us about your favourite dream. and not the homo-midget fucking one.
One that lingers, walking through a field riddled with dead rotting sheep. I come across this one sheep who's eyes have since long gone, its jaw smashed and skin missing from its bone. Out of its abdomen is a lamb that is still alive and has just finished eating its way out of its dead mother’s womb. It’s covered in blood and crying pathetically at me. A typical dream. A more recent one, witnessing two women become involved in a gas explosion. The first knocked to the floor and badly burnt, the second trapped in a door way and unable to escape the white hot heat. I watch as her flesh is burnt from her skull, I stare into her eyes as her life is burnt away. Woke up with a proper knobber that morning i tell you.


7. You have made a music video for Odium, tell us about this and will there be more videos to come?
Its was no where near as good as I intended. I wanted lots of fire and a guest appearance from satan. Maybe next time. There will be more to come. The majority of the trash was filmed in the depths of an ancient lead mine. All the nature shots were filmed while a rotting squirrel hung from my raging semi.


8. What is happening as of late with your label?
Death. Ive got to trim some dead meat from my activities. Got to focus my energies on music and the furies of the knuckle shuffle.


9. You have a project called October, are you involved with anything else?
Depravity zine, la bete and as mentioned, october. la bete is with a drum machine, therefore lacking the spontaneity of odium. October is musical experimentation. Anything goes. Midget fisting? I’ve a couple of other things up my poop chute. The patience of a Jedi will not be rewarding.


11. You once played drums for an Emit album, how did this come about?
that was many beers ago. Very vivid memory’s.


11. Do you ever see any of your projects performing live? How would you envisage your perfect live performance?
Me drunk, playing crap for a couple dozen of very bored people. The room im in is brick lined. There are no windows or doors, only a hole in the roof. Water runs down the wall’s in pathetic dribbles, quenching the thirst of the abundant mounds of mould. The people, sitting on their up turned concrete blocks get so bored that they pluck out their own eyes. The floor can no longer been seen for the blood and squashed eyes. The cacophony of terror from my guitar deafens the rooms occupants. Satan descends from the darkness. ( We are all upside down ) The people bleed, a lot, and slowly rot. The angels that follow dance the dance of death in a pool of rotting flesh that swims around their feet. They are there to take away the souls of the fallen. The souls are gone, the angels quest futile. Satan’s mission complete.


12. I have a copy of your zine depravity which was very minimalist, twisted and great, will you be doing any further issues of this zine?
Only the dark gods can decide this matter. The voices will fill my skull with their bidding.


13. What can we expect from you over the next few years?
Same as always, crap followed by more crap. Today i found a very small snare drum from a kids drum kit. Had to beat up the kid to get it. He almost got the better of me mind. Tiny fists hurt my aged flesh. Anyways, i prevailed. So now i have a very small snare, its about 9 inches across. Ill record some shit in the woods i think. A month or so with my little drum, deep in the welsh woods, recording onto a rotating drum of wax. My flesh coated in my own worm ridden faeces. Ill feast on rocks mushrooms and slugs and drink fermented badger piss.


14. Thanks for your time, use this space to end this interview how ever you wish.
Its taken me a month of drunken Sundays to answer this interview. I hope you’re all vomiting out your third eyes. May the sun become blocked by the ashes of human ambition. Hail satan.

P. Knight - Odium (September 2002)

When thinking of wales not many people would think of raw minimalistic black metal. But there is just such a band down there called Odium. This interview was conducted with Odium's sole musician in September 2002.

1.) Hailz, would you introduce yourself for those who have never heard of you before?.
Greetings, Well to start ODIUM Consists only of me, P.Knight. I also run ODIUM Records, with that the distro, also I have a zine comeing out soon and also my other project OCTOBER. My music is Raw, Minimalistic and Ugly. Not for the people who look for quality in their music.

2.) Where did the name ODIUM come from? And how does it link in with the idea of the band?
Actually when I was studying for my A-Levels, I was doing Law, I don’t know why, anyway the word ODIUM popped up and there we go. It means Hatred Coupled with Disgust, The way I feel about this world and it occupants, There are a few exceptions.


3.) What does the band represent? what are the lyrics about? As the artwork tends to be quite minimal and doesnt really share much with us.
The lyrics are all over the place really and don’t focus on a particular subject, really my music doesn’t need lyrics. The lyrics on “ Hatred “ were composed during a rather fucked up period of my life, the lyrics there dealt with Pain, Nightmares and Vampirism. Darkness in general.


4.) ODIUM is a band which to me resembles ildjarn, so does ildjarn play a large influence in your music? What do you do to prevent from becoming just another ildjarn clone?
I don’t think its too much like Ildjarn……Although I do like his music, I have thought about mimicking his style, but I cant get the drums right. Maybe one day……


5.) ODIUM records released a cd by a band called Anubi, named after an egyptian god i believe, and so i guess they are taking influence from the egyptian religion. how do you feel about this? Or are you as a black metaller just against xianity?
Im not to sure why ANUBI decided on the Eqyptian theme….. I don’t really care, perhaps I should? I don’t know… It is quite bad isn’t it. Im against all religion, There is no God, Satan, heaven or hell. When I refer to SATAN, lyrics and the like I suppose you could say im talking about the part of me that wants to do bad things like kill and rape women, smash small animals to pieces and masterbate over tombstones. Thankfully I suppress these desires, the thoughts still pop up almost continuasly, but there we go…


6.) Are there any other black metal bands from your area of the world as i have never heard of welsh black metal... Welsh Deth Metal yes, but black metal no.
Well, I suppose there are a couple of bands in the wales area, Grim Holocaust is one but im not too sure whats going on there. The Welsh thing, well im not from wales, Born in Bristol. English. I just live in wales cos I like the simple country life…….


7.) Tell us about the label and it's aim. the future and such.
The label, I don’t know why I started it. Its aim, to release Obscure underground music.
So far on ODIUM Records;

OD001 - ODIUM Blood. CDR Ltd to 100 copys.
OD002 - ANUBI Gods Pantheon. mcd Digipack.
OD003 - ODIUM Hatred. First 100 limited, Reissue unlimited. CDR.
OD004 - MERRESSIN Demo. Satan, oro te, Reo Portas Patere. Digi CDR.
OD005 - MERRESSIN Demo2.The Baphomets call. Digi CDR.
OD006 - OCTOBER. CDR
OD007 - EXCARNATION. CDR

Obviously the ODIUM Stuff is by me.
All my releases are now available.


8.) What'd you do if you released band's demo or what ever, from a foreign country, and then you came to find out that all those lyrics you didnt understand were just xian praise.
Nightmare!!!!! Delete the item I suppose. Religion is for fools! Invert the cross!


9.) Do you have any other projects other than your label and the band ODIUM?
Lets see, I believe I outlined it above somewhere, OCTOBER, my Acoustic, keyboard based stuff, this is a collection of recording ive done over the years, Brilliant cover artwork. Also the zine, this has taken such a long time to make, Im so lazy! Ha! Ive just got to print the bugger and it will be available. Also it comes with a cover mount CDR with songs by the bands interviewed.

10.) What can we expect from you in the future?
My next demo should be out soon “ Disgust “. I have about 5 songs recorded, they need vocals, plus ive got some extra songs planned for recording. The only thing holding me back? The Summer! When winter comes, I hope its very soon, I will get back to work recording Blasphemy and hatred in my little dark studio.


11.) Would you like to leave any contact infos and last words?
Indeed, one can contact me at ODIUMRECORDS@Hotmail.com or

P.Knight,
Llwynderw,
Conwyl Elfed,
Carmarthenshire,
SA33 6TL.
U.K.

Last words? Fuck mainstream Black Money Metal! Support the underground!