An Interview With Yukito Okazaki from ETERNAL ELYSIUM

 

Eternal Elysium may not have the international fame of BORIS or Church Of Misery but these guys are still considered pioneers of the International Psych Doom/Stoner Metal scene. The band have been going since 1991 and have released a wealth of fantastic Doom/Stoner Metal riffs over the years and across 6 critically acclaimed albums.

Their most acclaimed album is probably 2005's – Searching Low & High – which has been given a new lease of life courtesy of RobustFellow Prods. As that cool label is reissuing the album on DD and CD. The album has been digitally remastered and remixed by lead guitarist/vocalist Yukito Okazaki with stunning new artwork to match.

I caught up with Yukito Okazaki (Vocals/Guitars) recently where we discussed about this classic album and future plans for the band.

Hi Yukito. Thanks for doing this interview. How are things with you today.

Pretty good. Thanks to you guys for giving us the opportunity to get the word out about us to people.

We are here to talk about the reissue of your classic album – Searching Low & High. How did the idea came about to reissue the album on CD. Was it your idea or RobustFellow.

We got a great offer from RobustFellow last year. I was surprised and glad, because we were often talking about how most of our past albums are out of print. We asked what they wanted to do, and they explained their plan very much. That's totally great, so we decided to create something great with them.

Why that particular album. Why not other earlier albums of the band.

I understand what you're saying. There are a few reasons: the first point was that we needed to check the old contracts and situations of each album. At least with Searching Low & High we knew we were free to reissue for CD and digital releases. Vinyl of this album (released by Hydro-Phonic Rec) is still alive, so we didn't think we wanted to do that again. It took some time to clarify the situations with some of the other albums.

And, there is a more important point. This album is the 4th, but also the first release of the current lineup. I love every album we put out, and I'm sure Searching Low & High has great vibes. I remembered what we felt then. Lots of beautiful people helped and supported us so much. Almost 12 years have passed since we made this. 12 years is the timing when the Japanese zodiac has made a complete cycle. Perfect.

Did you have any other label offers to release the remastered album on CD. Are there plans for a vinyl release in the future.

Not really, we remastered it for this project. I don't want to spoil any surprises of future plans. Anyway, there’s gonna be great gifts for those who are waiting for reissues of more of our works.

Can you tell people what is different about this album compared to the original.

The biggest change is the sound image. I mixed both the original and this reissued version, and I tried to pull some ornaments out of there to get the sound of the real recording environment back. Enhancements that I made on original mix sometimes covered what we were doing, so I was carefully taking out the excess. I think the total balance became much better than original. Shape of sounds became a little mellow, but still heavy, even more. I took out some trippy dubs, and modified others. And, I added some dubs only a little bit after I made natural mix. I think you guys can catch our vibes more.

You’ve included two songs that appeared on the vinyl version of the album – Eternal Elysium and The Spiral Conclusion. Why were these not included on the original CD version of the album.

We recorded these two 4, 5 years after the original release, just for bonus on LP, so it was impossible. Well, I remixed both tracks for reissue release, so I think fans who already have listened on LP can enjoy again.

I’ve heard the new version and it sounds so much better than the original version. Was it an easy or hard experience remastering the entire album.

Thanks. I actually tried only remastering first, but I felt the it was possible to make the original sound even greater. I think that's right decision. It made value so much more.

Did you feel apprehensive or feel under pressure when remastering and remixing the album. As the album is held in high regard within the Doom/Stoner/Psych Rock scenes.

Yes, I did, obviously. But, that's not for rating from people. It was like I was fighting with my own previous work. This hard work was a kind of big trial, especially for me as mixing engineer.

The new artwork for the album is stunning. Why did you decide to go with new artwork and not the original artwork. As the original artwork is very cool and superb within its own right.

Honestly, because I felt tired to do artwork at the time. Eternal Elysium has kind of D.I.Y. mind, so original artwork was created by me and my wife who have much experiences to do graphic design. But, that usually takes a lot of my energy. And RobustFellow introduced some great artists/drawers from Robust team. So we decided to work with their artist. Anyway, cards of original artworks are included on reissue package, so you can enjoy both.

Did you have much involvement with the new artwork. Or did you leave that decision upto RobustFellow.

Not too much. I suggested just some real Japanese tastes.

Does it surprise you to this day at how people still hold Searching Low & High in such high regards.

Yeah, I didn't think people feel like that. For me, the things I'm deeply into are usually what we're doing, so I didn't care much about past releases. I appreciate people keep checking our old titles.

Did you realize you had something special on your hands when you originally released the album.

Well, I felt we've got something special and am in another dimension just after every release. I had some kind of confidences about the sound, but I couldn't imagine somebody really wanted this album to be reissued.

Did you ever notice or realize the insane high prices people were selling and buying copies of the CD & Vinyl on eBay when the album was originally released. How did that make you feel.

That's pretty crazy. I didn't check how much people spend getting the original one, but I also understand people’s feeling. I just remember how I spent lots of money when I got some rare items of Black Sabbath long ago, ha ha. Anyway, I hope this reissue makes good opportunity to listen to the real sound that we created for listeners.

Will any of your other albums be getting the same reissue treatment that Searching Low & High has recently gone through.

I think so. We're certainly planning other reissues. When this reissue of Searching Low & High sells well, our upcoming reissue projects will be smooth.

What are the future plans for Eternal Elysium. Any new records or forthcoming tours that fans can look forward to.

We were playing very much after releasing latest album last last year, but we couldn't show what we’ve got happening overseas for a few years. We hope to back to Europe as soon as possible. I think if the voices of people who want to check us are getting louder, it's gonna be possible. Please support us.

Thanks for doing this interview. All the best with the new version of the album.

Thank you so much, too. I hope everybody feels great to live well. That's the main message from Searching Low & High. Have a great life. Peace.

Words by Steve Howe and Yukito Okazaki

Thanks to Claire at Purple Sage PR and RobustFellow Prod for arranging this interview. Thanks to Yukito for doing this interview. Searching Low & High is available to buy on CD via RobustFellow Prod now.

Links:

Official | Facebook | Twitter

Clouds Taste Satanic - The Glitter Of Infinite Hell (Album Review)

Release date: October 31st 2017. Label: Self Released. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

The Glitter Of Infinite Hell - Tracklisting

1.Greed 18:40

2.Treachery 18:10

3.Violence 17:48

4.Wrath 18:56

Members

Steve Scavuzzo, Sean Bay, Greg Acampora, Brian Bauhs

Review

What period of the year could be better to release the new colossal fatigue of Clouds Taste Satanic if not Halloween?

The Brooklyn-based quartet came back with a new stunning album, The Glitter Of Infinite Hell, which is probably their best release so far, recorded and mixed by Ben Rice of Degraw Sound in Brooklyn NY and mastered by Alan Douches of West West Side Music. Giving a listen to this album (and also to the past productions) I'm really trying to figure out how it is possible that the band formed by Steve Scavuzzo, Sean Bay, Greg Acampora, and Brian Bauhs is one of the most underrated doom secrets in recent years.

The Glitter Of Infinite Hell offers to the listener a personal vision of doom, where dark and Lovecraftian atmospheres open to more psychedelic ones and then fall back into monolithic riffs and guitar solos, in a hypnotic cycle that hardly leaves indifferent. With their new release, Clouds Taste Satanic managed to compose the perfect soundtrack for a psychedelic journey into hell. 4 tracks for a total of over 70 minutes of music with no compromises and no drop in songwriting.

The album starts with the opener Greed, a 18 minutes song full of slow/drone atmosphere that closely remind me the very last Earth, where guitars slide into psychedelic realms, until fading into the distance. In Treachery, another 18 minutes track, the slow rise of the bass is suddenly achieved by the guitar riffing, in a crescendo that opens to more acid sounds, then close to atmospheric, almost ethereal moments. Violence (the third track, only 17:48 minutes!) seems the perfect continuation of the previous songs, as Wrath, the last song, is the perfect closure of this majestic sound track. More than in the past releases, the landmarks of reference, the various Sleep, Black Sabbath, Flaming Lips and Earth are more rarefied, offering a more mature and personal sound.

With The Glitter Of Infinite Hell, Clouds Taste Satanic return to the dawn of their productions, with a even more devastating sound, but clean and massive at the same time, and with songs characterized by an important timing, almost prog, maybe difficult to assimilate for first listening to those who are not familiar wit long, instrumental suites. This album must be tasted over time, listened to and played back. Probably, few will succeed in appreciating the many shades at first listening, but once you get in, I assure that you will be swallowed up in a journey that you will hardly forget and that, every time you listen, it will always look new.

There is no trick or treat here, gentlemen. Clouds Taste Satanic have created the perfect soundtrack for our best nightmares.

Words by Bruno Bellisario

Thanks to the band for the promo. The Glitter Of Infinite Hell is now available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

Year Of The Cobra - Burn Your Dead (EP Review)

Release date: October 27th 2017. Label: Magnetic Eye Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Burn Your Dead - Tracklisting

1.Cold 06:23

2.The Descent 04:30

3.Burn Your Dead 04:00

4.The Howl 06:45

5.And They Sang... 03:52

Members

Amy: Vocals + Bass + Keys

Jon: Drums

Review

Seattle Doom Duo - Year Of The Cobra (YOTC) return with another earthly doom driven EP. Burn Your Dead carries on where their spellbinding debut album left off. With the band creating bass driven riffs. The overall tone of the EP is quite gloomy and atmospheric in parts. Amy's vocals have a more blues rock appeal but the music is still gloomy and heavy throughout.

Opening track - Cold - starts very slowly but soon gathers pace with a haunting piano being played along with Jon & Amy's drum and bass sound. The gloomy soundclips offer a different doom perspective to the band's overall sound. Partially psychedelic at times as the song races to an exciting creepy finish.

Second track - The Descent - starts slowly again with a cool and cold sounding instrumental sound before YOTC turn up the volume with a bass-heavy doom style sound. Amy's vocals are impressive again, as she creates a nineties sounding alt-rock/doom/gothic sound.

Third track - Burn Your Dead - sees YOTC - play a faster style of doom and sludge rock. It has a more experimental punk rock atmosphere with the vocals being less restrained than the other tracks on the EP. The final two songs - The Howl & And They Sang... - sees YOTC expanding their musical range yet again. With different sounds being played and merged into a more settled doom rock/metal rhythm.

It's good to see YOTC creating songs with their individual feel and identity. All of the songs sound very different to each other. The Howl is perhaps the standout track on the EP. As YOTC combine vintage seventies doomy riffs with a familiar and modern sounding grunge vibe.

Overall, YOTC have excelled themselves yet again with this EP. It's a fantastic sounding EP that sees the band experiment with their sound and I'm kinda excited to see where the band goes from here. I applaud the band for using different sounds and vocals on this EP. 

Burn Your Dead is a superb release and will no doubt go down a storm with their established fanbase and perhaps even attract a few more new fans along the way.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Jadd at Magnetic Eye for the promo. Bury Your Dead is now available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Magnetic Eye Records.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

Iron Monkey - 9-13 (Album Review)

Release date: October 20th 2017. Label: Relapse Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

09-13 - Tracklisting

1.Crown of Electrodes 04:21

2.OmegaMangler 04:48

3.9-13 05:36

4.Toadcrucifier - R.I.P.PER 05:31

5.Destroyer 04:16

6.Mortarhex 03:30

7.The Rope 04:46

8.Doomsday Impulse Multiplier 05:10

9.Moreland St. Hammervortex 09:46

Members

Jim Rushby - Guitars, Vocals

Steve Watson - Bass

Brigga - Drums

Review

As band returns go, the news that Iron Monkey were returning after eighteen years was extremely unexpected and the reactions mixed with some bemoaning the fact they had returned while others rejoiced at the news but listen to their new album 9-13 and you will see that they are just continuing where they left off and completing some unfinished business, which is fair enough given how the band ended.

Now consisting of a trio featuring original members, vocalist and guitarist Jim Rushby and bassist Steve Watson who are joined on drums by Chaos UK/FUK man Brigga, the three piece simply annihilate with this new material. 9-13 sounds as vital and angry as you'd expect and the riffs and grooves that threaten to kick in your speakers are immense.

It's to his credit that vocalist Rushby does his own thing and delivers a storming performance while he doesn't try to ape Johnny Morrow (the bands original vocalist who sadly passed away in 2002) and why should he even try, this is the new Iron Monkey and they sound just as pissed off on 9-13 as they did back in the 1990s and the albums raging sound pays tribute to Morrow perfectly.

9-13 kicks off impeccably with the furious hardcore sounding Crown Of Electrodes and the rest of the album that follows is just as good as that initial detonation of noise. Omegamangler follows and it is like the band have never been away with its massive sounding wall of riff led noise and this continues with the albums title track. That song that starts with that familiar Iron Monkey feedback and another lurching and extremely heavy groove while Toadcrucifier - R.I.P.Per is a giant ball of focused rage.

Other tracks on the album like the rabid Destroyer, the furious blast of Mortarhex and the rabid lurch of The Rope sound as unhinged as you would want and as 9-13 concludes with the majestic nihilism of Doomsday Impulse Multiplier and the feedback laden closing track Moreland St.Hammervortex, it feels great to have Iron Monkey back doing what they do best.

There is a big hardcore punk influence on 9-13 and that merges in well with the bands sound and although the sludge elements are obviously there in the bands sound, there is a rawer and more precise vibe going that sounds immense.

When Iron Monkey announced their return, the sound of the online community moaning that it wouldn't be as good as before was as boring as it was predictable and started up straight away after the announcement was made much to the delight of the band . As Iron Monkey were always a band who didn't give a fuck what anybody thought and just got on with their misanthropic and brilliant noise and that is exactly what they do with 9-13.

This is an album to be played loud with a complete disregard to anything else and its great to have the band back, hopefully the next album won't take as long to come this time around.

Words by Gavin Brown

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

Eternal Elysium - Searching Low & High (Album Review)

Release date: October 27^th 2017. Label: RobustFellow Prods. Format: CD/DD

Searching Low & High (2017 Reissue) – Tracklisting

1.Reefer Happiness 05:48

2.Not So Far 06:24

3.Hazy Sublime 01:42

4.Twilight High 05:46

5.Approaching Stranger On The Electric Trail Of Dreams 02:29

6.No Isolation 06:47

7.Before The Morning Comes 06:26

8.Green Song 16:49

9.Eternal Elysium (Bonus Track) 13:53

10.The Spiral Conclusion (Bonus Track) 06:58

Members

Yukito Okazaki - guitar, vocal

Tana Haugo - bass, vocal

Antonio Ishikawa - drums

Review

Japanese Psychedelic Doom Rock band - Eternal Elysium - may not have the same international fame as Boris or Church Of Misery but they're still a majorly important band for Japanese Psych, Stoner Rock and Doom Metal music in general. They've released a wide range of different albums over their twenty six year career. Their most famous and most acclaimed album is perhaps their 2005 album and fourth overall. Searching Low & High.

This album showed the band exploring heavier and progressive sounds with an equal focus on psychedelic rock as well. The album has been released on CD and Vinyl over the years. You can buy copies of the album on eBay and other websites for extortionate prices. Now the album is being reissued via RobustFellow Prods and their first release on their Robust Relics imprint.

What's so different to this version of the album compared to the original? Well the album has been digitally remastered and remixed by lead guitarist/vocalist Yukito Okazaki for a fresher and more dynamic sound. This version has two new tracks that were only featured on the vinyl version. This is perhaps the most complete version of the album that has been released to date.

I'm going to do a brief review of this album. As it's my fave album from Eternal Elysium.

Searching Low & High shows a band creating their most definitive work. As they explore different sounds such as Prog Rock and merge it with their familiar trippy psych based Doom/Stoner Metal sound. Songs such as Reefer Happiness, Not So Far, Twilight High, No Isolation and the epic Green Song show Eternal Elysium's passion for creating a classic sounding Stoner Metal album that has influences from bands such as Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer, Cream and Grand Funk Railroad. The mood can be extremely heavy at times though the band are wise enough to experiment with their music. As there are moments where the band opt for a more "Jam" driven style of Doom/Stoner Rock.

The album still sounds remarkably fresh despite being released originally twelve years ago. The two bonus tracks - Eternal Elysium and The Spiral Conclusion - are a welcome addition to an already classic album. I've heard rough versions of these songs on YouTube but never have they sounded as good as this. As both of these tracks sound more vibrant and even spaced out at times.

If you're new to the world of Eternal Elysium then don't go expecting a straight forward Doom/Stoner Metal album. As Searching Low & High is anything but. This is an album that pulls a few surprises along the way that you wouldn't expect. Some parts of the album have been influenced by jazz style progressive beats and that allows the Doom/Stoner Metal vibes to be more psychedelic.

Searching Low & High can be considered a masterpiece of the genre. The album deserves to be considered as such as it is such a different sounding album now compared to the original. Now the album is finally receiving the "deluxe" treatment that it richly deserves.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to RobustFellow Prods for the promo. Searching Low & High is available to buy now here.

Links:

Official | Facebook

An Interview With Kriller From GAIA and Dennis From SLOWJOINT

Two of Denmark's heaviest and best upcoming Sludge/Stoner Metal bands have joined forces to release a split album. The following details from their BandCamp page will tell you all you need to know about the album.

“Two bands from opposite ends of Denmark. Slowjoint from the southwest and Gaia from the eastern. The two bands have two distinctly different sounds, but share a love for big amplifiers and heavy fuzz - as well as a very loose approach to song writing, and a base in stoner / doom.

Slowjoint and Gaia have played together and supported each other for years now, and finally they are putting out a a split. In addition to offering new music from both bands, the music on the split is also the the most accomplished from both bands.

The Split has been released in a collaboration between Virkelighedsfjern, Svensk Psych Aften, AUSI Records, Magisk Stat and the record shop Vinyltrolden, where a reception is also being held on Wednesday, November 1st, which is also the official release date.”

I was asked to do an interview with representatives from both bands and I've managed to catch up with Dennis from Slowjoint and Kriller from GAIA.

I've interviewed Dennis multiple times over the years as I'm a huge fan of Slowjoint. I'm fairly new to GAIA's world. So I was pretty excited what these two crazy riffsters would reveal.

Find out below....

Hi guys. How are things with you today.

Dennis (Slowjoint) : Hi Steve, We’re good thanks. The Danish fall is beautiful.

Kriller (Gaia) : I agree, and perfect for this kind of music. Also, I'm tired....always tired.

So we are here to talk about your new split record coming out on November 1st. Can you give our readers more info about this release.

Kriller: Well, it's coming out on vinyl, which is possible because of the Labels Virkelighedsfjern, Svensk Psych Aften, AUSI Records, Magisk Stat and the record shop Vinyltrolden. They help with both money and distribution, but it is still mainly a DIY product. We do all the boring stuff our selves. Like vinyl pressing, press contact, distribution (for the most part) etc. We put a lot of work into it and are extremely excited for the release.

Dennis: Actually you can preorder it on virkelighedsfjern over at their BandCamp page. The cover looks fucking great in vinyl format. It’s painted by NMAAR, you should check him out. Awesome hand painted work.

How did this collaboration come about. Did you know each other before you recorded the record.

Dennis: Yeah we’ve known each other since we started the band. Played one of our first shows together and been playing together here and there around Denmark. They’re good guys and we have kind of the same mentality about being in a band and writing music. Gaia is hugs and doom in a perfect combination.

Kriller: Ha ha....thanks - I think. The main reason we are doing this collaboration is that we know each other. Back when we started there wasn't much going on in regards to doom in Denmark, so we found each other pretty quickly. The family is growing now, which is great. That also means more focus on this kind of music in our small country. And well, as Dennis says we have a similar way of doing music. It just makes really good sense to us.

Dennis: It really feels like sort of a family thing. I know quite a few guys from other stoner bands personally, only because we have the genre in common. It’s great that way and makes it even more fun to do this.

Whose idea was it to release a split record.

Kriller: Well, Slowjoint sent us a bunch of songs that they wanted to put out. At that time they weren't really sure how. This was about a year ago I think. We really liked the songs and we wanted to help and since we had already decided to enter the studio later that year, we asked them if they wanted to put out a split. And they did.

Are these entirely new songs. Or are you using old unreleased songs.

Dennis: We recorded them late last year along with the “hashed Potato” single that we released back in spring. One of the songs have been around on the internet but the rest is all new. It’s our first recording with Tor, who’s our 3rd drummer. They seem to wear down pretty fast, ha-ha

Kriller: Yes, we do not bring our b-game to splits. We are really proud of these two songs. The first one, Wound Gratuity, is actually a song we wrote for this split. We had to, because we didn't have any other song that were short enough to fit on there.

Dennis: It’s an ongoing problem at my house. Never short enough to fit..

Who is releasing the record and what formats will this be on.

Kriller: As I said earlier this is mainly a DIY record but we are getting some help. As for formats, it will be out on Vinyl and pay-what-want-download at Bandcamp. Hopefully someone will throw on pirate-bay and shit like that. For me internet-music is free. I like the physical products. Maybe there will also be a tape later...

Dennis: We’re all in for a tape release

What does Slowjoint's side of the record sound like.

Dennis: It sounds like us. Like three guys in a room. Compared to “Up Shit Creek” it sounds a little different but it sounds a lot more like us. The last song “Politicks” is a one take jam. One of Tor’s cymbals collapsed to the floor during the end of the song and you can’t even hear it cause everything is so loud! We sure had us a good time with Jacob (DeadRatStudio) and we’re returning there soon to record a full length.

Kriller: To me it is the best I have heard them sound on record. Definitely the closest to their live sound. Other than that I would say this is slacker/rebel-music. Love it.

Dennis: Haha, rebellion against well written music

What does GAIA's side of the record sound like.

Kriller: We got to play a lot of shows just before recording, so it's definitely our tightest stuff so far. At the same time there is a looseness to it. It's also heavier and slower than what we have done before. We really wanted to get into some very minimalist stuff this time. Few and very simple riffs, no solos (almost) and a lot of feedback. I think if you like things like Toner Low, Floor and Harvey Milk, you will enjoy this.

Will you be touring this record heavily. Or will it just be local shows here and there.

Dennis: We’ve been talking about doing some German and Swedish shows as well as some Danish shows.

Kriller: We are in the process of booking shows in Germany. Hopefully that will work out. It can be hard to get out of Denmark and tour. I'm not exactly sure why.

Dennis: For a start you should tour with a bigger band than us, haha

What are the future plans for both bands in 2018 and beyond. Any new full length

albums being released in the future.

Kriller: We just recorded another split that will be out next year. We got this stupid idea of putting out three splits in one year. Not because splits are stupid, we love those, but because it is hard work and we are slackers. We don't like work. But all kidding aside, we want more Danish music to come out on vinyl, and this is our way of making that happen.

Dennis: We’re planning to record a new full length album as soon as we find the time for it. I have a lot of riffs, lyrics and kind of a theme figured out already we just need to get together and jam the shit out of it. Other than that we just plan to keep the grass growing around here and maybe play some of the neighbour countries. We played Flensburg in Germany last weekend and it went pretty well so hopefully we will return to Germany soon. Hopefully with Gaia.

Slowjoint Live

You're both from Denmark. What is the current state of play of the Danish Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal scene. Is there an active community for you to do regular gigs and participate with.

Kriller: It's growing. Back when we started there was nothing and shows with local bands where a disaster. Now more people are showing up, and more bands are coming out of their rehearsal rooms. We have a lot of good bands these days like Bethmoora, Dirt Forge, the Quitters, Carcus, Drukner, Heathe, Konvent, Ordeal and more I guess. It seem like there are a lot of new bands starting up. Which is great.

Dennis: Yeah it was a lot harder to get to play shows when we started and it’s not even that long ago. Now I feel like a lot of the gigs we get is because of a member or more from other bands passing the word around. And I try to do the same even though it’s a little more quiet around where I live.

What influences you both when writing music.

Dennis: I like old time blues just as much as I like sludge metal. Obviously we’re influenced by Weedeater and Bongzilla, we can’t hide that (why would we?) but I think what really influenced me with those guys is the way they use the blues to create heavy music. I’ve been in other faster heavy bands as a singer but when I started Slowjoint I started writing riffs. And the only thing I had any experience with instrument wise, was the blues so I think that’s where the influence came from.

Kriller: In terms of writing music we are heavily inspired by bands like SUMA, Harvey Milk, Floor, the Melvins, Toner Low and Electric Wizard. Other than that I am also into stuff like drone and kraut-rock, which I think influence the music quite a bit. In terms of lyrics I find a lot of influence in negative feelings and philosophy. For instance the song There is Nothing Left comes from the feeling of emptiness I got when I was looking at pictures of old beat poets. I thought to myself who will we remember from our time, and drew a blank. That made me feel really empty inside.

GAIA Live

Are you all involved with different musical projects or is this your main band.

Kriller: All of the members of Gaia are part of the space-rock band called Måneskjold (Moonshield). That's a lot more up-tempo and fun, with lyrics in Danish. We also have a lot of small projects. They come out through Virkelighedsfjern. Well, the ones that don't completely suck.

Dennis: Yeah you should check Morten and Kriller’s side project God Dam. I guess it doesn’t completely suck, haha. I have a blues and country inspired solo project called No Teeth. It sucks for sure. I’ve made a few cassette recordings and plan to release it some time. There’s this song about a mailman who is also a speed dealer which I’m very satisfied with. Tor is playing grind and doom in Compassion Fatigue and Black Acid Crystal and Patrick just made a YouTube channel where he is filming his adventures in the Danish nature. Trying to find rare species and stuff. So that’s kind of his “side project”.

What is your musical setup when performing or recording live. Is it an advanced setup or a basis setup.

Dennis: I’d say we’re pretty basic with one guitar, one bass and one drum set. But of course we like big stacks and loudness. Patrick usually play a Marshall full stack of one kind or another. I play a Sunn concert bass with a peavey 2x15 cab. I sometimes run it parallel with a yamahab100 and another peavey 2x15 cab, guess where I got that idea, ha-ha It adds some extra fun and rumble even though the Sunn and Peavey, The Pocket Setup as I like to call it, do the job just fine on it’s own. I brought it when we played with Bongzilla in Copenhagen back in May. Cooter played it too and he seemed to dig it. And it didn’t break like the rest of the amps he borrowed on their tour. It’s a tank.

Kriller: We have the same set-up. Which is why touring together will be great.

Dennis: I never thought of that. That’s fucking great. Stage shift in five seconds.

How hard is it for both bands to stand-out from the crowd. Or do you not worry about things like that.

Kriller: I think we stand out. We do things in our own way and plan on doing that till we die. I'm not sure that everyone knows what to do about us. A local booker once called us un-bookable. That was quite funny. In terms of getting out there, in Denmark there aren't that many bands, so we're doing alright.

Dennis: We don’t worry that much about it. Just try to be ourselves and have fun with it. That being said I think all bands need to put a little effort in getting the word around but there are many ways to do so.

Before you go, do you have anything to say to your fans.

Kriller: We have very supportive fans, which is great. Keep being supportive and we will keep making music, deal?

Dennis: Thank you and fuck you.

Words by Steve Howe, Dennis and Kriller.

Slowjoint Links

Facebook | BandCamp

GAIA Links

Facebook | BandCamp