ABSENCE OF THE SACRED – An interview with Mike

It is without an inch of doubt I state that Absence Of The Sacred can no longer be considered strangers to the Death Metal scene in Asia. This four piece aggression who have been responsible for anthems such as “Fallen Into Obscurity”, “Catalysts for Cataclysms” and Dawn Of A Dead Aeon are undoubtedly on their way to the peaks of the genre as one of the best units to rise from Asia who are capable of conjuring neck breaking Melodic Death Metal coalesced with immense doses of technicality. Below are excerpts from my recent chat with front man Mike Priest.

Greetings Mike! Hows everything over there?

Greetings Chathuranga! Everything here is going well; the metal scene is slowly reviving itself after a long period of dormancy and new bands are emerging that show promise to the upcoming tide of Asian Metal.

You guys recently released a new video, titled, Dawn Of A Dead Aeon. How did the shooting process for this come along? And the feedback?

Our video was actually shot and produced in 2007, but due to several technical difficulties it could only be released in 2009.The shooting process was done on two separate occasions, one of which was shot at a warehouse which only involved the band playing with speakers and monitors in the background and foreground. The other was shot at a University campus with props and actors. The two sessions were later edited and combined to form the entire video. Unfortunately the people who shot our video were not happy with the result. This resulted in numerous re-editing sessions and the delay of the video being public. We did screen a rough-cut of our video at our pre-album launch at DXO (The Esplanade) in 2008 though. The response then and the response now has been thoroughly positive and has gained us more attention.

On an article which was published recently you have commented on the lack of structure and depth when it came down to the local bands. Could you elaborate more on this matter? And also give us an in-depth view of the concept or story board behind the new video?

On that article, I mentioned the Music Videos made by local bands, not the local bands themselves which lacked structure and depth. Most local Music Videos are shot poorly with no concept behind them or direction, and yet they are applauded and shown on the local MTV. For our Music Video, the visual concept behind the title Dawn of a Dead Aeon reflects the beginning of the end, an age of apocalyptic times. We used a lot of occult and tarot symbology and metaphors to achieve a dark and devastating message delivered through an aggressive performance. Blood, innards, idols, prayer, concrete, etc. These reflect an integrated sense of reality in the video which also portray a very dark side of the world of which we live in. They represent religious wars, senseless massacres, false messiahs, rampant urbanization and industrializationeverything that civilization has wrought with humanitys ignorance.

You guys recently hooked up with Kevin Talley who has partaken in other projects such as Daath, Dying Fetus and Misery Index, as your official drummer for your upcoming opus. How did this collaboration come along?

Kevin Talley was contacted by us to play on our third album. He heard some samples of the upcoming material, and liked it, thus agreeing to collaborate with us on the third album, for a nominal fee, of course.

Kevin Talley has contributed an amazing effort for albums such as Misery Indexs Dissent, Dying Fetus Destroy The Opposition and Daaths The Hinderers. Do you think there will be a fairly immense contrast regarding the drum work compared to your earlier albums such as Era Of The Apostate and Atrocities…?

Definitely. The material for our third release is really different from our debut and sophomore albums. Our third release is much more aggressive and technical, and it will be the best release we have unleashed upon the world. Our previous drummer could not deliver certain expectations, thus we had Kevin to do the drums as his style and ability suits the level we are aiming to achieve with this upcoming release.

Speaking about your new album, care to share the title with your readers? And also maybe the concept behind it?

The third album is called Come Hither O Herald Of Death, which deals with metaphysical and psychological aspects of death and change. It will be ingrained with certain philosophies and ideologies of which I personally experienced and believe in, such as the reincarnation of the thought process.

If Im not mistaken all of AOTS art work is done by you. Do you work on a specific theme when it comes down to the artwork? How important do you think is the contribution from the artwork to the whole presentation or image of the CD and band?

Your statement is correct (except for the cover art of Atrocities which was done by Jason Wong of Morningstar Studios). I work on delivering the visual aesthetics necessary to convey the theme of an album, and I believe very strongly in the importance of this process. A band is not only defined by lyrics and music, but also the aesthetics of which shows the entire outlook of what the band stands for. Like it is said, a picture paints a thousand words.

Regarding your live performances, what is it like to be performing in your region? Do you guys put together your own shows or get invited to play more?

We are normally invited to play shows, both locally and regionally. We enjoy performing in our region as the metal scene in SE Asia is generally supportive.

Getting Media and Sponsor support for a gig in my region, Sri Lanka, is considered one hell of a task. How does it work over there? Also how much of a crowd does an average AOTS gig drag in usually? Any comments on the fan support?

In Singapore, gigs used to be more frequent, and with better organization. Due to many of the older organizers retiring, the younger generation of Metal are left quite clueless. However in recent times we have some of those among the younger generation who are organizing their own shows and moving up to organizing bigger gigs. We do have independent media support (indie photographers, promoters from music forums), but normally there are no sponsors for Metal shows. We have played to crowds from 30 people to 300 people, so its quite hard to average it out. The Singapore Metal scene isnt big at all, considering even a band like SLAYER who played here only got a crowd of 1,500 people or even less. Thankfully we do have supportive fans who come to our shows regularly to headbang, mosh and have fun.

You guys headlined the Boomerstorm Festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand, could you tell us more about your performance that night? The other bands who performed along with you?

The venue was extremely hot, considering that all the windows are closed as well as the doors, and there were only two standing electric fans in the entire venue! We did headline, unfortunately we could not play more than 6 songs due to the intense heat! Mike K (our bassist) nearly collapsed due to potential heatstroke, and the rest of us were boiling in our stage clothes under the strong stage lights. With no air-conditioning or ventilation, its not a wonder that we could not play more songs although the crowd were screaming for more. Other bands that played with us were our friends ANTIHT from Bangkok and local bands from Chiang Mai such as OPPORTUNITY, ASYLUM and FEROCIOUS.

Any special bands from your area that you would recommend to your readers?

I would like to recommend bands like IMPIETY, SANITY OBSCURE, OSHIEGO, PSYCHO, SUICIDE SOLUTION, RUDRA, CARDIAC NECROPSY, ARBITRARY ELEMENT, VRYKOLAKAS, INFERNAL EXEKRATOR, ASILENT, DRACONIS INFERNUM, DEUS EX MACHINA, SOUL DEVOUR, etc.

Any plans to tour/perform and conquer other areas such as Europe (or Sri Lanka?!)

We plan to do a proper tour sometime next year, but we do plan to play a few overseas shows here and there this year! Sri Lanka is definitely a possibility.

Singapore isnt exactly known as the region to spawn great Death Metal acts, what influenced you to form AOTS?

I formed AOTS in order to expel all my personal demons out into the waiting arms of the world. I also had many ideas and I needed to get them out of me, and out poured lyrics and music that expressed my disgust, anger and hate from my personal experiences as well as what I have witnessed in the world today.

What bands/musicians would you name as your inspirations when you started out as a guitarist and a vocalist? And what bands/albums are you currently listening to?

When I first started playing Metal, I was listening to bands like Morbid Angel, Deicide, Incantation, Carcass, Hypocrisy, Vader, Acheron, Mercyful Fate, Slayer, Metallica, Testament, Sodom, Kreator, Iron Maiden, Marduk, Emperor, Mayhem, Darkthrone, Zyklon-B, etc. Later, I discovered Melodic Death Metal bands like Soilwork, At The Gates, Dark Tranquillity, In Flames, etc. I still listen to a wide variety of Metal sub-genres, although I mostly enjoy old-school Death Metal. These days Im listening to bands like Toxic Holocaust, Dead Congregation, Morgoth, Altar Of Plagues, Portal, Infernal War, Baphomets Horns, Daath, Amesouers, etc.

One of the most hotly debated topics regarding the genre Heavy Metal is the attempt by fans to define the terms Underground and Commercialized or Mainstream Metal. Do you believe in labelling bands as such? If so how do you define the boundaries of Underground and Commercialized Metal? What are your views regarding this subject?

Well, I just believe in 2 categories: Real Metal and False Shit. Real Metal is basically genuine in music and attitude. False Shit basically comprises of bands like Avenged Sevenfold and Bullet For My Valentine which pop out metal hits to teenage girls and boys, songs which have no integrity to them at all. Just another mindless MTV hit to satiate the masses. They are a disgrace to music and I will never call them Metal bands.

Do you think the Internet has sparked a new age for Heavy Metal regarding the circulation of the music to newer regions and also when it comes down to establishing fresh connections with like minded people across the globe? What are your views on things such as Music sharing or Downloading? What are the pros and cons as you see it?

The Internet has sparked a new age for everything as far as Im concerned. With the advent of the Internet, knowledge and awareness are freely dispersed in a limitless and uncensored public channel. This enables many people who are repressed in strict fundamentalist countries or who come from strict moral families to know more about Metal music and what it is all about. I get to interact with a wider audience and make many new friends and fans from across the globe. The Internet is a wonderful tool, and it is definitely the last free continent that we have. I think Music Sharing/Downloading is fine, however it should be done responsibly. If you like the music you downloaded, you ought to buy the album to show your support to the band. If you think having the mp3s are enough, then show your support by going to shows/buying merch from the band. Recording an album isnt free for us, and making merchandise, traveling to shows and buying new equipment does cost us money. And if you dont like the album, just delete it. Its up to each individual to be responsible. If you like the band, why would you take their livelihood away from them? Think about that.

What are your day jobs? What do you do when youre not rehearsing with AOTS or writing music?

I own a Metal Store/Design Studio in Singapore called HELLS LABYRINTH, which I run 6 days a week. Mike K (bassist) works at Power 98FM Radio Station as a Creative Director and Darren (guitarist) is currently serving his National Service in the Air Force. Our live drummer Vijesh is currently studying for his diploma.

What does the tattoo on your right arm say? I of course understand if you dont want to share that information with us! Haha!

It is the physical manifestation of my fears and inner demons.

Where can your readers and fans listen to your music online and purchase your albums and merchandise?

You can listen to our music at:

http://www.myspace.com/absenceovthesacred

You can purchase our albums from the following regional/continental distributors:

ASIA/AUSTRALASIA:

Hela Distributions

Vrykoblast Productions

Asian Rock Rising

Tenzenmen Distro

USA/MEXICO:

Relapse Records

Negative Existence

EMF Records

EUROPE:

Displeased Records

Twilight Distributions

Your hails to your comrades and comments if any to your Sri Lankan readers?

Many Hails to our Comrades in Sri Lanka especially to you, brother Chathuranga and the Hela Distributions team! We like to thank our supporters and our new friends in Funeral in Heaven, Fallen Grace, Hollow and Siblings of Hatred as well!!! We will be coming to ravage your ears very soon!!!

Thank you so much for taking the time off to answer this interview Mike! Wishing you all the very best with your future endeavors brother! Hails!

The rest of Absence of the Sacred and I wish you and Hela Distributions the very best as well! Thank you for the interview and we appreciate your support!!! Hail and Kill!!!

http://www.myspace.com/absenceovthesacred