In a time zone ahead of our own, in a country far far away, a deep, dark and progressive sound brews under the postcard beaches and sun-baked skyscrapers of Melbourne. Drawing influence from the metal sounds of 90's Scandinavia, Be'lakor play a very different melody to the joyous warmth of their native Australia and have just sent another shivering ripple down the underground river, with their superb second album Stone's Reach. I communicated in 0's, 1's and 3's with frontman George Kosmas to find out how the tunnel-digging to foreign lands is going.
MR: Stone's Reach is a logically pleasing follow-up to the impressive and independent debut that was 2007's The Frail Tide. Are we listening to a totally fresh batch of material? And what do you see yourselves as the main progressions, differences and improvements with this record?
GK: In terms of its arrangement and assembly, yes, Stone's Reach is almost entirely fresh. We didn't begin putting it together until The Frail Tide had been written and recorded. Having said that, many individual riffs are relics from our songwriting past. Steve (keyboards), in particular, writes nearly all of his material on a computer program called ModPlug Tracker. We delve into his work from the past frequently where we feel the quality is there or that it would complement a particular song we're working on well. I had also written much of the riffs in “Venator” when The Frail Tide was being finalised.
My personal opinion is that Stone's Reach is a very different album to The Frail Tide. From a songwriter's perspective I can certainly tell you that it is hugely more sophisticated and carefully assembled. A lot of the riffs are also more technical. The Frail Tide was a debut album, and for obvious reasons it was quite crude in many respects. We were a lot less mature (musically) back then and much more eager to just get our music out there quickly. For these reasons, Stone's Reach might be a tad less catchy than The Frail Tide - its melodies are generally not as simple and accessible. But it has a lot more depth, and I think many more spins in it than The Frail Tide. I think it rewards the more careful listener. Of course, as to which album is "better" - that's entirely subjective! As to other differences, the production is of a much higher standard on Stone's Reach and the album is longer.
MR: Your deal to release the new and re-release the old with Descent Productions didn't work out. Tell us about Prime Cuts and what happened in between. Was the new album delayed much?
GK: The album wasn't really delayed by any label issues. Unfortunately, the collapse of Descent meant that we could not rely on the label for any money and we had to finance the album ourselves. We nearly all work full time, however, so money wasn't an issue and we went ahead and made Stone's Reach. We had a general understanding with Prime Cuts for some time that they would be interested in our new album - so we sent them a pre-mix sample, they loved it and we took things from there. Of course, our arrangement with Prime Cuts is only licensing for distribution around Australia, so we are still effectively an independent band. I guess being properly "signed" by a label that contributes to producing our next album may be a next step, but it's nice to retain control.
MR: Are there any plans now to re-release The Frail Tide? It doesn't feel like that album’s cycle has had closure yet and it feels like a shame not to release it to a larger audience to support Stone's Reach.
GK: Absolutely, but it all boils down to labels being interested in distributing it. We were planning to re-release it on Descent initially, so that was a bit of a setback. At this stage, however, our focus is on promoting Stone's Reach. We've sold many copies of The Frail Tide privately since June, so the new album has certainly generated a lot of interest in the old.
MR: The artwork for Stone's Reach suits the music (and title) down to the ground. Who is responsible and what is the idea behind it?
GK: We spent months trawling Deviantart.com for the right album cover and, eventually, we found this and thought it was perfect. The photo was taken by a young Italian artist, Mr. Geanfrancois; it's of a Renaissance statue by Benvenuto Cellini which depicts Perseus holding the freshly severed head of the Medusa. The image was touched up by Sheri J Tantawy, our graphics artist who was responsible for the album package.
MR: Is your music the brainchild of one particular member or is it very much a group contribution? Tell us the creative process and puzzle-piecing of a progressive death metal delight like “From Scythe to Sceptre” for example.
GK: Our music is certainly a collaborative effort, every member contributes (to varying degrees on any given track) and builds off the efforts of the others. Usually somebody will bring an initial idea (a chord pattern, melody etc.) and others will contribute to it until we feel it’s right – by changing it, working out a harmony, manipulating the time signature etc. We spend many hours in each other’s lounge rooms with little practice amps working on different songs; trying different structures and building on riffs until we feel like the songs are ready. We generally will not progress until we feel each section is 100% right – the ‘leave it and come back’ approach doesn’t work for us. “From Scythe to Sceptre” was no exception to this – the song took shape over several weeks and every section you hear in the final product underwent many changes.
MR: It's funny, in a lot of interviews you are compared to bands you have never even heard of before (Garden of Shadows for one). Do you gather influence from something out of the metal circle? And does listening to these bands afterward ever change your outlook on Be'lakor's music?
GK: Yes, absolutely – but it really differs from member to member. I myself love bands like Pink Floyd, King Crimson and Queen which I certainly think manifest themselves in what I write. I know the other members are into a lot of folksy stuff – particularly Celtic music. What it really boils down to is that Be’lakor’s music – notwithstanding the death metal devices or “vehicle” – is really just about dramatic, emotive/melancholy and epic, melodic music. That’s really what we’ve always tried to capture. And those qualities are in no way unique to metal – you can find them in everything from prog rock to opera. In my own personal view these elements link music together far more profoundly than the instruments, techniques and effects used, which unfortunately nearly always wind up determining how bands are viewed and compared to one another. The somewhat annoying thing is that most people ignore that more important aspect and focus only on the devices used – lumping metal into one amorphous blob when they probably shouldn’t.
MR: Is there anything out in the metal world currently that excites or inspires you? Recommend me an album from this year.
GK: To be honest, I am still a little stuck in the past. When listening to melodic or progressive metal it’s nearly always something like Dissection or early Opeth. I think melodic metal has really gone downhill in the last 10 years; there are only really a handful of melodic albums from this era that I listen to or enjoy. Because of this, I find myself listening to more brutal stuff when it comes to new releases. Off the top of my head for this year, I would recommend the new Funeral Mist and Australia’s Nazxul.
MR: Being an Opeth nut, I see their influence coming across in Be'lakor – I also know they are the kind of band you can fall into copying in the blink of an eye. Comparisons will always be made (Insomnium are another), but have you developed your own style enough yet to comfortably release music that doesn't need too much defending?
GK: Early-era Opeth has certainly been an inspiration for us – along with other obvious classics like Soilwork, In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, At The Gates and, in my case at least, some of the more melodic/progressive black metal acts like Rotting Christ, Dissection, Burzum or Emperor. Insomnium is not a comparison that I am so comfortable with, actually. Much like Garden of Shadows, we were all largely ignorant of Insomnium until some reviews came in. It’s still not a comparison I personally agree with; none of us really listen to Insomnium. Whilst we share many similarities in devices (like I touched on earlier), with the exception of the occasional part, the sort of riffs, harmonies and chord patterns we employ are very different. To my ears, at least, Stone’s Reach sounds almost nothing like Across the Dark. I think the pool of melodic death metal bands with a strong focus on melancholy is quite small nowadays, so people rush to make that connection. My opinion is that it’s a bit superficial – but, of course, it’s all in the mind of the listener.
Like all bands Be’lakor has elements that are derived from our predecessors – no doubt about it. But my belief is that we also have built our own style on to that. I think a discerning listener could pick a Be’lakor melody/harmony without too much trouble.
MR: George, there has been much praise for your vocal style, I'm a appreciator myself as they remind me of my favorite growlers like Paul Kuhr (Novembers Doom), Nathan Ellis (Daylight Dies) and yes, Mikael Akerfeldt (Opeth). What are your main vocals influences, I imagine they might even stem from more traditional death metal bands. I always like to hear the story of the first time someone pulled off their first death growl.
GK: You’re certainly correct – my vocals have always had their roots in more traditional metal. My favorite vocalist is George Fisher (who not only has an awesome voice, but a superb sense of vocal rhythm and how it interacts with the riff), but also Peter Tagtgren, Akerfeldt and some black metal vocalists (notably Nocturno Culto and Mortuus). I had always liked making harsh sounds with my voice (thoroughly enjoyed doing my Exorcist impressions during high school), so I took to the death growl really easily. The only important hurdle for me was moving from using the throat to project sound, which is an ineffective and painful technique, to learning to use my diaphragm to generate power. This is really the “secret” to having the stamina to go for long periods of time and most people will also recognize that it’s central to the technique of good clean singing as well.
What I found far more challenging was learning to perform vocals while I play guitar live. This took a few months to master and, with the newest material having some more complex rhythm parts, requires ongoing practice.
MR: Scratch our back and we'll scratch yours. It's the search for those little known bands with so much to offer that give meaning to the musings of the lawless pack of metal enthusiasts here at MetalReview. Being that you're one of them, what can an online community of spare-time writers really offer a band like yourselves, particularly as you have managed to amass another impressive collection of reviews?
GK: Many things! One very important thing is patience and generally to be taken seriously as a band in our own right. Because we are still widely unknown, the instinct for some listeners is to give the CD half a spin and then perhaps move on to their real priority, which is to compare us to a more established band. There is an assumption that if you are small, ergo you are trying to mimic. I feel that this often leads to hasty conclusions about who we are and what we’re trying to do. Luckily, many reviewers (and, without a doubt, you chaps at Metal Review are amongst the best) are still prepared to give us a proper go and we’ve appreciated it hugely. The real challenge is to cultivate this sort of goodwill in the “mainstream” metal media (specifically, printed magazines).
Beyond these lofty hopes, it really is just spreading the word and telling your mates. We owe everything we’ve achieved to date (admittedly, modest!) to the passion of underground fans and reviewers who have given up their time to promote us.
MR: I read another interview where you state that a band needs to think internationally to be successful. What are you thinking now in your next step to bring your music to a bigger audience? Touring Europe/America might finally encourage some of the recognition you deserve, how are you going to get there? Don't say “by plane”.
GK: Our current priority is ensuring we get physical distribution overseas, and I’m pleased to say we’ve made some progress in this regard (to be announced soon). There is no doubt that the vast majority of our listeners are located outside Australia – the scene here tends toward the brutal. Beyond this we’ve also been working to get our music onto compilation CDs such as Terrorizer (UK) and Legacy (Germany).
With regard to touring overseas, it’s certainly something we’re aiming for. However, given that the costs are high (from Australia, and it would require us all to take time off work), we really want to make sure we’ll be playing some quality shows that will expand our audience. I can’t see us spending many thousands to play some pub shows! If this requires that we continue to bide our time until we are big enough to get onto a good bill or a decent festival then we’re happy to do that.
MR: I'm a metal fan who needs other people to know what obscure foreign bands I listen to, where can I get a Be'lakor shirt from?
GK: This is an oversight we are currently fixing! We sell our CDs over MySpace, and we will soon have our shirts available for purchase there as well.
MR: Finally, what has been the most rewarding and most frustrating points in Be'lakor's short but promising existence?
GK: I pretty much got into death metal for the money and glamorous women. To be more serious, the most rewarding is undoubtedly having other people appreciate and enjoy our music. It is hugely satisfying to read a review where the reviewer really understands what you were trying to do and enjoyed it. The most frustrating thing is when you read an opinion that you strongly disagree with (for example, comparing you to X or Y band or suggesting that you have tried to do Z with your music) and not being able to respond. That’s not really a genuine frustration though; it’s just something that every band has to learn to accept at some point.
MR: Many thanks for your time guys, all the best for the future. I want to see you here in the UK and my colleagues want you over in the states (after). Give us the final few words without using the letter “e”...
GK: Sadly, you leave me no choice but leet speak: Sp3cial thanks to M3tal R3vi3w for th3 ongoing support w3’v3 r3c3iv3d (particularly 3rik and Jordan who took th3 tim3 to writ3 thoughtful r3vi3ws, and yours3lf of cours3 Ross). K33p it m3tal and support th3 und3rground!
MR: W3’v3 R3c3iv3d... now there's a band name.