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Interview with
Metatron of The Meads Of Asphodel
By Steve Green - May 2010 |
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| I've a lot of time for "The
Meads", having followed them from their demo cassette
days way back in the late '90s. Their quirky
Englishness, mixed with their flirtation with Black
Metal and of course their crusty Punk underbelly never
fails to both amuse and impress. So with a new Punk
covers split cd and a brand spanking new record deal
with one of the UK's leading Metal labels freshly inked,
it was a good time to catch up with my old friend, Meads
vocalist, Metatron. Your Punk covers were recorded
back in 2007. Why have you taken so long to release
them?
We originally had covers split cd penned with Thus
Defiled. They had some Thrash covers and we had our Punk
version. It was meant to come out in 2009, but for
various reasons it never did. Not wanting to release a
mcd, we looked around for another English band to do a
split with. Old Corpse Road are one of the best [in my
opinion] English Black/ Pagan bands out there so we
approached them and the rest is history, as they say.
How did you go about deciding which tracks to cover
and are there any others that you recorded, but rejected
for this release?
We pretty much knew what songs to do. There were other
rough mixes of tracks by The Blood, and Angelic
Upstarts, but we decided to keep to the more rough and
ruthless crust style of the genre. The songs here
reflect a great tradition of UK bands regurgitating the
sound of the gutter. We will not be doing any more
covers for a few years, I think we have over-killed that
idea just a tad.
I was expecting an all out blast-fest on this album, but
you’ve really tamed Hellbastard’s Nazis Killed. What was
the idea behind the reworking of the song?
J.D Tait mellowed it out with some keyboards and
completely changes the tone of the song. Scruff from
Hellbastard commented he was pleased with our re-working
of Nazis Killed and that’s a real honour for us.
On the other side of the coin, you’ve really gone to
town on Skeptix, War Drum. I guess that’s the song your
drummer, Urakbarameel enjoyed the most?
War Drum is a rabid song with the percussion in mind.
It’s a simple enough track and taken from a really
obscure Ep called, Return to Hell. All three tracks on
that slab of vinyl are what I consider the best thing
the Skeptix have ever done. It’s pure D Beat Discharge
aural hammering.
The inclusion of The Kinks, You Really Got Me
shouldn’t come as a surprise as in its day, it was one
of the most extreme songs around. But your
interpretation of the song will no doubt raise a few
eyebrows. It’s certainly different that the Van Halen
version of the song…
Again, J.D Tait dragged the arrangement into a doomy
sombre mood. Hal Sinden from Interlock does a great
vocal on this and really grinds it through a deathly
mangle. The song has been slowed down and basically
murdered. |
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As well as 7 songs from The Meads, the split as
includes 3 new songs from rising UK Black Metallers, The
Old Corpse Road
I think Old Corpse Road are a perfect accompaniment to
the rawness of the Meads, in fact, they sound like a
more polished version of yourselves. Is that why you
chose them for the split cd?
There are so many one man bands out there, probably
comprising of 80% of most scenes out there, including
the English Black Metal contingent. I have no problem
with that, but to actually find a band playing such
invigorating music was a real pleasure. Sure, they have
a Cradle of Filth underbelly, but that’s reflective of a
certain distinctive English Black Metal anyway. Old
Corpse Road transcends this comparison with great
swathes of their own identity. It’s like they have
tapped into that Englishness of Cradle and Sabbat and
enhanced that distinctive style.
I know you’re not a fan of the more modern forms of
technology, as far as the music industry is concerned,
especially with downloads, but do you think it’s time
The Meads moved forward and perhaps embraced such
ideology’s?
We have to embrace it but that doesn’t mean we have to
like it. We are a traditional band that started our
day’s tape trading and doing interviews with numerous
paper zines. This was the lifeblood of the underground
as well you know. I believe you were as much part of
this as anyone else back in the nineties.
Times change and you wither, keep up or get left behind.
That said, we will always have an affinity with the
underground even if most bands do not give a shit about
anything but their own ego’s. That’s why we released the
Life is Shit, Ep on Vinyl, that’s why we have done this
split. It’s all about keeping in touch with where we
came from. Maybe lots of bands say that, but ten years
of wallowing in it may give my words some meaning.
There was more effort in days passed to keep the
underground alive, so the people involved in it were
more passionate. Nowadays anyone can set up a web page
As you’ve never played live, how about making a music
video, so your fans can see you in action, at least
online?
We will be making a video. There so much going on at the
moment with the album nearing its completion. The
lyrical impression is as complex as the, music.
Your next album, The Murder Of Jesus The Jew, is
bound to stir up controversy, even before it’s released,
just because of the album title. Do you expect to cause
a bit of a storm over this?
Storms come and go but the truth remains. The title is
exactly what it is. Jesus was a Jew, he died on a Jewish
Tree in a Jewish land. That’s something Christian’s try
to forget. Jesus loved his God and loved his people.
Christians love his god but generally despise his
people. The West has followed this Jew for hundreds of
years, worshiped him and died for him, but his roots
have been washed way. What the fuck is that all about?
This album is the album I wanted to create from day one,
and now it’s here. I wanted to know the real man behind
the myth and how the West has corrupted and deceived
through the centuries. There are historical events that
no one is ever taught. The fact the Roman persecution of
the Jews melts with the growth of Christianity. By
AD130, the city of Jerusalem was renamed Aelia
Capitolina, and was totally absent of Jews. This is why
we have this race of generally despised people dotted
all across the world. Our inbred hatred of race and
culture is a reflection of Christianity’s deceit and
wholesale indoctrination of its dubious creeds. It’s a
long winded true story, but one I doubt many people
know. On another note [we could go on and on here] is
that the very terminology of Anti-Semitism is completely
wrong. The Semitic world envelopes many Islamic peoples,
as well as others, so it cannot be spoken of in such a
broad way. Anti-Semitism is a term to represent
Judenhass [Jew Hatred] but it is wrongly accredited
outside those constraints. Its bullshit and resides
outside the realities of historicity.
It seems every Meads release always has a plethora of
guest musicians. Who have you got lined for the next
album?
We have Mirai [Sigh] who has done the intro and another
musical piece. Vincent Crowley [Acheron] who guest
vocals on the track, From Eagle to Cross. Hoest ,from
Taake who guest vocals on the track, Jew Killer. We also
have Alisa Coral [Space Mirrors] adding some Theremin on
the track, Man from Keiroth. These guests add something
special and unique to our music. |
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And rumour has it that one of the UK’s leading Metal
labels is going to release the album. Have you signed
the deal yet and can you reveal which label it is?
This is something that has been ongoing but I can
confirm that Candlelight have just signed the band. We
have been approached by labels before, but none have
really enthused us with excitement. This move is more to
do with taking our music to a far wider audience and
certainly not financially motivated. [how many times you
heard that one?] We are pleased with the twelve years
dwelling in the underground with labels that trade our
release’s into the veins of the small distro network as
well as the normal outlets. We have remained true to
ourselves and now we can sit back and see if our music
can survive beyond the passionate constraints of the
underground. If it does not, then who cares? Our name is
cemented in English Black Metal lore and of that we are
immensely proud.
While looking back at your discography, I was shocked
to see that it’s already 10 years since the release of
your debut album, The Excommunication of Christ. What
have been the highs and lows of the past decade for The
Meads?
The turbulent times of the band fragmenting after the
release of the split cd with Mayhem in 2002. This
turbulence was surpassed by the arrival of J. D Tait who
has become the engine room of this band. To have
stability with Urakbarammel and Alan Davey, solidifies
the sound we have and to have such great musicians to
add their own identities into the music .
To be nominated for a Metal Hammer golden globe was a
blast, and to be part of the British Extreme Metal scene
proper, not just from a fans view, but to actually be
part of it is so very special to us. We are extremely
proud to shove our Englishness up the arse of the world
that exists beyond out little Island.
Many thanks for your time. Is there anything else
you’d like to add?
Many thanks for your interest in the Meads and remember,
“The wise man can pick up a grain of sand and envision a
whole universe. But the stupid man will just lay down on
some cow pats and roll around in it until he's
completely draped in it. Then he'll stand up and go hey,
I’m covered in shit!...”
http://news.themeadsofasphodel.com
www.myspace.com/theofficialthemeadsofasphodel
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