Two new Apostle interviews out today, one at The Metal Bulletin, which you can read here: metalbulletin.blogspot.com
The second is in Italy’s Rock Hard magazine. You can read the english translation below:
If doom metal is experiencing yet another season of great vitality, it is also due to bands like Apostle of Solitude, who for years have been moving constantly up the scene, taking advantage of the teachings of the past but trying to leave their personal mark. Which for the Indiana band now takes shape in the form of a new record, ‘From Gold to Ash’. It’s up to the singer and guitarist Chuck Brown to set the record straight, and not only …
From Gold..’ is your 4th album. Does it show any side of Apostle Of Solitude you haven’t disclosed yet?
With From Gold To Ash we didn’t specifically do anything we had not done before but I do think with the new record we expanded upon things we’ve been more conservative with before. Like the use of more vocal harmonies and more diverse second guitar parts. Because of that we hope existing fans will find the new album consistent with the older material yet refreshing and evolving.
How did you work on the new songs? Any difference in the songwriting process?
It’s really the same process we’ve used in the past with the varying lineups. I will usually bring in a skeleton of a song or idea and as a band we tweak the arrangements, add or remove second guitar parts etc. The vocals are typically the final thing we do. This time around there was more collaboration with Steve and I on lyrics and melodies than in the past which I feel has helped make this our best effort yet.
Can you identify an overall theme or atmosphere overarching the complete album?
As with most AoS material on a whole the tone of it is rather somber. Themes dealing with
everyday tragedy and despair are present in nearly every song.
As always, you have very strong melodies. How important are melodies for a doom metal band?
It just depends on the band to me. For Apostle, yes strong guitar and vocal melodies are important but for some other bands maybe there is more emphasis on guitar riff style or vocal style. We certainly don’t subscribe to a set of rules for what qualifies something as heavy or more specifically doom.
Equally, the songs express quite a melancholic feeling… Do you need to feel melancholic to play doom?
Like most things it can help if you have experience with what you are writing about but I don’t think it’s essential. I don’t need to jump off a cliff to imagine it would be quite horrendous to do so. I suppose though that it is necessary to have a good imagination if you’ve not gone through said experience.
Seen from the outside, doom metal seems to be quite a homogeneous genre, which is actually not. Which bands share your same vision of doom?
I’m honestly not sure I have an answer to that. There are so many artists we all like but I don’t know if like us they don’t really consider themselves strictly doom. So I’m not sure if our ideas are in line with other bands or not.
How difficult is to differentiate yourself, staying on the track of doom?
It can be difficult to try and balance keeping true to what you’ve established as “your sound” and still achieving uniqueness each time you write something new. It’s something we are conscious of but don’t dwell on. Writing a song we’re proud of is what matters most.
A title like ‘From Gold To Ash’ sounds quite pessimistic. What are the reasons behind this choice? It could also have a religious feeling…
I would agree that the title is a pessimist’s view of things but it can also be viewed as a realist’s approach to things. In acknowledging that nothing lasts forever and that it’s out of your hands maybe there’s some peace to be found with that understanding.
Since a couple of years, doom seems to be quite in favor with media and fans. Why in your opinion? Does it make things easier for a band like yours?
I would imagine there are many factors to why something becomes the vogue thing. I hope that it’s largely to do with people having access to bands who prior to the internet age were marginalized not because of lack of talent but because there wasn’t enough money in it for the general media to bother with. The Doom genre getting more attention definitely helps a band like AoS but unfortunately sometimes people begin to pull away when a certain style starts getting too much attention and you’re back to where things started.
Is what it is. Just the way of the world.
Any chance to see you touring on this side of the ocean? Anything already planned?
Absolutely. We’re planning a 10 day eastern US tour this summer and are also planning a 10 day tour in Europe this November. So definitely be on the lookout for the specifics dates and cities over the next couple of months.