Gorath explore a greater Darkness

Based out of the country of Belgium – known for chocolate and beer and not so much for extreme music – Gorath is a black metal band who infuses their compositions with a good deal of historical significance.  Their latest CD MXCII has just been unleashed on the Twilight- Vertrieb label, and it’s dark yet epic feel is sure to thrill listeners from all over the world.  Here is a recent interview we conducted with founding member Filip Dupont to find out more about this compelling entity…

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Gorath, and how long the band has been together.
Gorath started out somewhere in the nineteen nineties as a one man project, but got off officially in 2002. After a couple of demos and two albums a full band was realised after the release of The Fourth Era in 2006. Some live shows were booked and Gorath played in most West-European countries. Another two other albums got released of which MXCII is the latest one this year. Put out by the German Twilight Vertrieb. Our line up, nor my role isn’t that important, it’s the total package that counts. More information can be found online; just read our biography.

What is the metal scene like in Belgium and are there very many places to play?
Belgium is one of the biggest shitholes in the world. In fact it’s not a real country and I give shit about it. Just like in Canada there are two different parts; one speaking Dutch and one speaking French – Both with different backgrounds and different cultures. We don’t really stick together. We live in the Dutch speaking part, which is half the size of the state Maryland! And yes, there are many places to play. Every weekend there are like 5 underground shows, most of them with almost no visitors. There’s an overkill and the people are spoiled because all big bands play nearby.

Is there any story or concept behind the MXCII title?
Gorath is known for writing strong concept albums based on tons of research. The Fourth Era was all about the Mayans and their 2012 theories which are very popular nowadays. Misotheism was about Gnosticism and dogmas within the church. MXCII refers to the year 1092 when my village Diepenbeek was formed. The texts are about local heathen traditions and heresy/religion in general. It took me a lot of research because we haven’t got a rich history as the Scandinavian or German people. But it’s at least as interesting from this point of view. I’ve written all texts in our local dialect, all based on the official dictionary. It took hours to simply translate one single text. But we’re damn proud of it and we’re surely the only band on this fucking globe using this language. We mixed it with some Latin and Greek because those languages are the fundaments of Christianity. This way we want to bring the heretics versus the religious.

Where did you get the ideas for some of your lyrics? Please cite two songs from the new CD and what inspired you to write the lyrics.
My whole life I practically lived in Diepenbeek. Unlike most Americans, Belgian people stick to their village (or close neighbourhood) throughout their whole life. Even though I’m no big fan of my country I adore my heritage. I drew my ideas from all of this. The first song Tombeveld (translated: Field of Tombs) refers to a place in my village where old stones were found, being placed in a circle, like a small Stonehenge. The circle of stones are made by ancient druids and are meant to be power lines, some kind of archway between light and dark, life and death. Most of this was destroyed by the coming of the Christians. Heidewake is a new word meaning the heath’s wake. There’s a legend telling about a monastery which has sunk into the shallow waters of a lake over here. That lake has been named De Augustijnevijvers and refer to the teachings of saint Augustinus. Heidewake brings those same teachings yet into another perspective. To say it in our dialect: Mè wa e verhaol van liefde mos jonne, veranerde in’n mèis van Gods genaoie. Which means: But what should be a story of devotion, turned into a wake of God’s grace. That pretty much sums up what MXCII is about.

Did you get to meet Dan Swanö and what did you think of him and his mastering of the new CD?
We never met and arranged everything through the internet. I like his work with Edge of Sanity and also his work as a producer (Dissection, Katatonia,…). I admire his simple approach and his natural sound. He did a great job on MXCII and as well on Misotheism. He works fast and is a professional.

What was it like sharing the stage with Mayhem and did you get to meet them at all?
We played with quite some known and illustrious bands: Dark Funeral, Shining, Darkspace, Nazxul, Watain, Secrets of the Moon, Cruachan, Dark Fortress,… The show with Mayhem was a high profile one which was sold out as well. We did a good show and met them all. I’m not that kind of star struck person. In fact I don’t care that much about who I talk to, whether it’s the guy next door or a legend like Hellhammer.

What is a live Gorath show like for those of us who have yet to see you play?
We are a black metal band without gimmicks, not interested into trends or fake ideologies. We totally support our lyrics. No fake devil worship here! In fact; no devil worship at all! What you see is what you get. No paint or obliged attributes like leather boots or an overload of spikes or blood. We just dress ourselves pitch black and play an intense show. I don’t enjoy watching calm bands on stage, even when the show is played nearly technically perfect. The energy unleashed (by the band) makes a show different from a CD listening session, if you get my point.

You’ve played pretty much all over Europe. Any chance of Gorath coming to the States to do some shows?
We would do it immediately if someone would get us over. Plane tickets only would cost around 2800 euro, so do the math and find out we’re probably too unknown for US shows. Our friends of Serpentcult recently did a good East coast/Canadian tour, so I don’t think it’s impossible as well. All though a band like Glorior Belli had quite some problems to get their papers fixed and had to cancel their whole US tour in the end.

Originally Gorath was just a one man project. What made you decide to take on band members after being able to be in control of everything when doing it on your own?
Being in control isn’t that important. It’s more relax to know you’re backed up with talented musicians and virtue composers. Although I write the biggest part of the music, ideas from the other members enrich the music ten times more. In the end I’m still the dictator who decides what’s good and what’s not. But again, it’s not important. Gorath’s first real line up was made of a fixed pair of session musicians with no input at all. Today all four of us give their ideas and it’s really refreshing. Take all releases (of all bands I’ve played in) and conclude I’ve written hours of music, solely by myself. Some insiders recognize my trademark. New fresh ideas from others will take the edge of that statement. Which is good!

Would you want to see some of your earlier work re-released through Twilight-Vertrieb?
Interesting question! Our debut Elite was released by an American label which have seemed to disappear from the planet. That one, and also The Fourth Era was recorded with the help of a drum computer and I’m pretty sure re-recordings with real drums would be a good job! I would prefer this above a simple re-reprint.

You have written in the past for magazine and websites. Do you enjoy writing about music and is that something you still continue to do? Do you think writing about music makes you more conscious about your own work?
I have written some years for the Dutch Vampire Magazine, which was one of the first and also most known internet magazines. Too many times I’ve heard too much crap and I’ve quit this activity for some years now. Unconsciously I’m pretty sure the good stuff around made some scars in my mind. I don’t know whether my past as a writer makes me more aware of my own abilities, though every time again I can perfectly assess the media reactions on a new album. Misotheism scored worldwide an average rating of 9/10. MXCII will do less good, even though it’s a better album. In this fast consuming capitalistic society there’s no time for having a decent listening session. MXCII is darker, more layered, more complex and more detailed than its predecessor. It just takes more time to get into.

Are you currently involved with any other band projects outside of Gorath?
At this moment I’m solely writing stuff for Gorath. Recently I played in Horus, a doom laden sludge band. We released one 12″ LP and quit. Gorath consumes all my spare time left. There’s no need for doing other things at this moment.

If you could go to any other time in history and visit for one day, where would you wind up going and why?
The sex, drugs and rock and roll from the sixties may sound tempting, though I prefer the time bit longer ago. When the world didn’t seem to be overcrowded. When quality ruled out quantity and when local villages were charming in stead of being suffocated by metropolises. The time when the Western way of life didn’t control our society and when local traditions were still a part of all day’s life.

What is your favourite Belgium beer and is there any American beer you might be particularly fond of?
Is there any good American beer? When I was in L.A. it was funny to see people holding those brown bags and the unnecessary ID control at the liquid store was quite uncommon as well. The few American beers I tried, tasted more like water and didn’t have the typical bitter taste I prefer when having a beer. I like pils beers the most, like Cristal Alken or white beer like Hoegaarden or more heavy beer like Leffe Blond.

Any messages for metal fans here in the Los Angeles area?
Prepare yourself for a greater darkness is coming!

(Interview by Kenneth Morton)

Gorath on Myspace