Between the sleep and wakefulness
interview
After very long months we finally managed to carry out another funeral doom interview, this time with a horde of Italian CONSUMMATUM EST, which also brings some gothic elements to their music. Still relatively fresh "Hypnagogia" album from last year can also show off guest vocals of Greg Chandler himself from the legendary Esoteric band. Questions were answered by main brain, Emanuele, who also did not have much time to complete it, but fortunately it had managed, even I found no English interview with them on the net, so maybe this is also quite rare matter. Quite significant changes have occurred in the band, but more in the coming lines....
Hi, how are things going in CONSUMMATUM EST band?
Not bad man!
Time of new "Hypnagogia" album release stretched to five years, what was the main reason?
Basically, I have released an album when I felt the need to do it. I have a quite busy private life, so the time that I can dedicate to the composition is reduced. In addition, Il Giardino Onirico - my main band (prog/rock metal) - keeps my free time pretty busy.
Finally, after the recording of Promo 2006 I felt discouraged because, despite the made efforts, it didn't come out as I had imagined. Moreover, my gradual detachment from the metal musical scene was another reason why I thought to give the project up. But the material of Hypnagogia was ready and it would have been a pity not to publish it, so Moerke spurted and convinced me to record it. Nowadays, I'm proud of it: at last, it has come out as I wanted six years ago.
In one song you have invited Greg Chandler from ESOTERIC as a vocal guest, why have you chose just him? Was it easy to talk his head off?
When I composed the track “Consummatum Est”, at once I thought his voice was perfect for that music, with his apocalyptical and visionary gait. As you certainly know, Greg has got the most mind-blowing vocal style on the doom scene, so he was perfect for my idea. I sent him an e-mail asking if he wanted to take part in my project. He wanted to hear the track and he immediately liked it, so he accepted the proposal with pleasure and recorded his parts in his recording studio. The best of it is that I have always been a fan of Esoteric: I think of them like a legend and for this reason, his presence on my album is a great satisfaction that makes me very proud!
What is most important to you at writing process?
The most important thing is getting out my most negative and twisted side. Every one of us has got an extremely hidden dark side and my aim with CE is to take it out. In addition, as funeral doom is a generally static genre, it is important to succeed in being creative and refined.
Are you satisfied with the description as Gothic Funeral Doom Metal band? There are not so much similar bands; I know only American FLOOD OF DISSONANCE and Finnish FUNERAL…
I am frankly not interested in labels, but I think this definition is correct. I honestly don't know Flood of Dissonance, whereas I am a big fan of Funeral, even if I feel more similar to the Shape of Despair for that concerns the composition.
Who of you brings the most Gothic elements into CONSUMMATUM EST music?
As I am the one who works on the drafting of all the material, I think that I do it eheheh.
Doom Metal is mostly the story of feelings. What feeling do you want to reach with your music?
Emptiness, negativity, perversion, mysticism, decadence ..some of my most hidden side.
Does "Hypnagogia" album contain some concept in terms of lyrics? Why did you choose just this album title?
Hypnagogia is a succession of surreal and decadent images, without a real link. Distorted and transfigured views of a reality which is filtered by a pavor nocturnus affected person's eyes, nightmares without apparent logic, a jump into space, compromised lucidity by hallucinatory substances, altered senses by cannabinoids, hate against the religion, blood, decomposition humours, angels' sperm...in Hypnagogia you can find all this..
Among other things, the CD has a great, dark cover art; can you reveal something about it?
The artwork has been executed by Moerke. Besides being a great guitarist she is also an excellent graphic: she did a superb work on Hypnagogia, she managed to perfectly transpose the album's extremely twisted imagination on a visual level. For that concerns the cover, it is a scene that I have had in mind for years, like an obsession, but I wasn't able to imagine how that could be in reality: it has been sufficient to mention to Moerke the main aspects and she turned them into a fantastic image of decadence. Talking about the interpretation, I'm sorry but I can't answer your question. It is too much private for me, so I can't tell you what it means to me, but - on the strength of your perceptions - you can interpret it your way...
I haven’t heard your debut, so what's the biggest difference between your two CDs?
Funeral Procession is an immature and unsophisticated album which was recorded in a little time and with little means.
On the contrary, Hypnagogia has had a really long development and it has been written in a very bad moment of my life, so I consider it is heavily mine, I suffered and loved it, so I'm very tied to this album....
You have released debut at your own, so many people didn’t get it maybe ... What reactions have it got?
Unexplainably, most of funeral doom followers liked it ..it's something I can't understand, I just think that album is a really bad work, I don't deny it, I just admit its mediocrity. Nevertheless, the underground label Made with Hate reprinted 250 copies that were sold out and some people are still searching for it. So, despite of my disgust, it has been a little success.
Are you now satisfied with the distribution of Time Silent Noise Rec? What about this label?
To say the truth, I was just looking for a label that could print (??) this album in a professional way, so I really don't know how - and if - they are releasing it eheheh. I only know that this label is Russian and that it is specialized in funeral doom music.
Have you ever had problems with the line-up? However, six people are quite a large group. Do you all live close together? What about your rehearsals?
Consummatum Est has been a real band until 2005 (even if I drafted all the material). However, at a certain point, some misunderstandings among us rose and I decided to stay alone. Nowadays, Consummatum Est is one of my personal projects - the only exception is Moerke, the second member, who helps me on the bureaucratic side and with the graphic -, so we don't rehearse and live perform. Moreover, we all live far from each other! It works this way: I draft the material, set the sheet music and the tabs and give them to my trusted performers who study them. When everybody is ready to record, we enter the recording studio and we just do it!
Do people in Italy go to Funeral Doom shows? Or generally to metal shows?
In Italy funeral doom is quite absent and there are little followers. On the contrary, metal has a large relevance in general; there are a lot of shows and several festivals. But I can't say anything else; I have practically left the scene.
What are your next plans? Ok, thanks for the interview, you have the last words. Can you add your actual top 5 albums?
No plans for the moment! Maybe I will write something new - sooner or later - maybe not. It will depend on my future necessity.
Thank you for the interview and sorry for the time you had to wait for it: coming to terms with daily life is always a problem!
My actual top 5 albums? Mr Bungle - California, Genesis - Nursery Cryme, Danny Elfman - Edward scissorhands OST, Nick Cave - The good son, Porcupine Tree - The sky moves sideways...and let me add Pink Floyd - The Wall!
http://www.myspace.com/consummatumest
Emanuele 9. 4. 2011 Storm
Hi, how are things going in CONSUMMATUM EST band?
Not bad man!
Time of new "Hypnagogia" album release stretched to five years, what was the main reason?
Basically, I have released an album when I felt the need to do it. I have a quite busy private life, so the time that I can dedicate to the composition is reduced. In addition, Il Giardino Onirico - my main band (prog/rock metal) - keeps my free time pretty busy.
Finally, after the recording of Promo 2006 I felt discouraged because, despite the made efforts, it didn't come out as I had imagined. Moreover, my gradual detachment from the metal musical scene was another reason why I thought to give the project up. But the material of Hypnagogia was ready and it would have been a pity not to publish it, so Moerke spurted and convinced me to record it. Nowadays, I'm proud of it: at last, it has come out as I wanted six years ago.
In one song you have invited Greg Chandler from ESOTERIC as a vocal guest, why have you chose just him? Was it easy to talk his head off?
When I composed the track “Consummatum Est”, at once I thought his voice was perfect for that music, with his apocalyptical and visionary gait. As you certainly know, Greg has got the most mind-blowing vocal style on the doom scene, so he was perfect for my idea. I sent him an e-mail asking if he wanted to take part in my project. He wanted to hear the track and he immediately liked it, so he accepted the proposal with pleasure and recorded his parts in his recording studio. The best of it is that I have always been a fan of Esoteric: I think of them like a legend and for this reason, his presence on my album is a great satisfaction that makes me very proud!
What is most important to you at writing process?
The most important thing is getting out my most negative and twisted side. Every one of us has got an extremely hidden dark side and my aim with CE is to take it out. In addition, as funeral doom is a generally static genre, it is important to succeed in being creative and refined.
Are you satisfied with the description as Gothic Funeral Doom Metal band? There are not so much similar bands; I know only American FLOOD OF DISSONANCE and Finnish FUNERAL…
I am frankly not interested in labels, but I think this definition is correct. I honestly don't know Flood of Dissonance, whereas I am a big fan of Funeral, even if I feel more similar to the Shape of Despair for that concerns the composition.
Who of you brings the most Gothic elements into CONSUMMATUM EST music?
As I am the one who works on the drafting of all the material, I think that I do it eheheh.
Doom Metal is mostly the story of feelings. What feeling do you want to reach with your music?
Emptiness, negativity, perversion, mysticism, decadence ..some of my most hidden side.
Does "Hypnagogia" album contain some concept in terms of lyrics? Why did you choose just this album title?
Hypnagogia is a succession of surreal and decadent images, without a real link. Distorted and transfigured views of a reality which is filtered by a pavor nocturnus affected person's eyes, nightmares without apparent logic, a jump into space, compromised lucidity by hallucinatory substances, altered senses by cannabinoids, hate against the religion, blood, decomposition humours, angels' sperm...in Hypnagogia you can find all this..
Among other things, the CD has a great, dark cover art; can you reveal something about it?
The artwork has been executed by Moerke. Besides being a great guitarist she is also an excellent graphic: she did a superb work on Hypnagogia, she managed to perfectly transpose the album's extremely twisted imagination on a visual level. For that concerns the cover, it is a scene that I have had in mind for years, like an obsession, but I wasn't able to imagine how that could be in reality: it has been sufficient to mention to Moerke the main aspects and she turned them into a fantastic image of decadence. Talking about the interpretation, I'm sorry but I can't answer your question. It is too much private for me, so I can't tell you what it means to me, but - on the strength of your perceptions - you can interpret it your way...
I haven’t heard your debut, so what's the biggest difference between your two CDs?
Funeral Procession is an immature and unsophisticated album which was recorded in a little time and with little means.
On the contrary, Hypnagogia has had a really long development and it has been written in a very bad moment of my life, so I consider it is heavily mine, I suffered and loved it, so I'm very tied to this album....
You have released debut at your own, so many people didn’t get it maybe ... What reactions have it got?
Unexplainably, most of funeral doom followers liked it ..it's something I can't understand, I just think that album is a really bad work, I don't deny it, I just admit its mediocrity. Nevertheless, the underground label Made with Hate reprinted 250 copies that were sold out and some people are still searching for it. So, despite of my disgust, it has been a little success.
Are you now satisfied with the distribution of Time Silent Noise Rec? What about this label?
To say the truth, I was just looking for a label that could print (??) this album in a professional way, so I really don't know how - and if - they are releasing it eheheh. I only know that this label is Russian and that it is specialized in funeral doom music.
Have you ever had problems with the line-up? However, six people are quite a large group. Do you all live close together? What about your rehearsals?
Consummatum Est has been a real band until 2005 (even if I drafted all the material). However, at a certain point, some misunderstandings among us rose and I decided to stay alone. Nowadays, Consummatum Est is one of my personal projects - the only exception is Moerke, the second member, who helps me on the bureaucratic side and with the graphic -, so we don't rehearse and live perform. Moreover, we all live far from each other! It works this way: I draft the material, set the sheet music and the tabs and give them to my trusted performers who study them. When everybody is ready to record, we enter the recording studio and we just do it!
Do people in Italy go to Funeral Doom shows? Or generally to metal shows?
In Italy funeral doom is quite absent and there are little followers. On the contrary, metal has a large relevance in general; there are a lot of shows and several festivals. But I can't say anything else; I have practically left the scene.
What are your next plans? Ok, thanks for the interview, you have the last words. Can you add your actual top 5 albums?
No plans for the moment! Maybe I will write something new - sooner or later - maybe not. It will depend on my future necessity.
Thank you for the interview and sorry for the time you had to wait for it: coming to terms with daily life is always a problem!
My actual top 5 albums? Mr Bungle - California, Genesis - Nursery Cryme, Danny Elfman - Edward scissorhands OST, Nick Cave - The good son, Porcupine Tree - The sky moves sideways...and let me add Pink Floyd - The Wall!
http://www.myspace.com/consummatumest
Emanuele 9. 4. 2011 Storm