Gallow God Interview
1 - First of all, I would like to thank you for the fact that you agreed in making this interview with us. It is very important for us to support new bands from the doom metal genre. So, let’s start with a typical question. How did the whole thing started? I mean how you decided to form a doom metal band?
DAN: Hi Alex, Thanks for contacting us to arrange the interview, it’s great to see people like your-self supporting new bands.
The story of how we got started actually goes back quite a few years; I have been in Doom bands since way back in 1996. But I think it was in about 2004 that Ric and I met each other while we were both working for a local record distribution company.
We got talking and Ric told me that he was producing and engineering music for various artists from his home studio. He invited the band I was in at the time, to record at his place for free, because he was trying to get a bit of experience recording heavy music.
We never actually got round to recording the stuff I had done with the previous band, So we decided to start writing together instead. We wrote about 3 or 4 songs and attempted to record them, but had a nightmare due to various computer crashes and technical difficulties so we kinda shelved the project and went our separate ways.
A couple of years passed but then in early 2009 I got an email from Ric saying that he had re worked the studio and stated writing again, so I went round for a listen and the stuff he showed me sounded really promising, so we decided it was back on, and we began writing and recording "False Mystical Prose"
RIC: We have been working together now on and off for over six years and have really bonded musically, as well as having a very strong friendship. Dan introduced me to Doom, and I have grown to love the genre.
In my youth I was really into thrash stuff like Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Nuclear Assault, as well as more traditional Metal like Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath. Once I got into the Doom stuff that was it, and I haven’t looked back since.
DAN: Yeah, there was absolutely no question that we were going to be a Doom band. We had originally been using the name Celephais for the project, a name taken from one of my favourite H.P Lovecraft stories. After a bit of research we found that there was already a band of the same name, so the name was changed to Gallow God.
We still have an unrecorded track called Celephais, so we have a little reminder of the early days. It was only toward the end of recording the EP that we decided to expand into a full band and hired our rhythm section of Doom, Jim Panlilio and Martin "Yeti" Singleton.
2 - Gallow God sounds evil, doomed but also promising. Please tell me how did you come up with this name and what is the meaning of the title of your EP “False Mystical Prose”.
DAN: The Gallow God name is a bastardisation of an Old Norse name for Odin, the actual Kenning is "Lord of the Gallows". It refers to the legend in which Odin Sacrifices himself and hangs upon the World Tree Yggdrasil for Nine days and nights to gain the wisdom of the runes.
We use a lot of tree imagery in our artwork. Tree’s being the most ancient form of Gallows, and as a nod to the Lord of the Gallows himself.
As for the EP title "False Mystical Prose", it kind of has a few meanings, it’s about the stuff I read, weird and esoteric, religious, theoretical but essentially scientifically it’s all false mumbo jumbo.
Alternatively it could be about the lyrics to the songs, stories, ideas or personal experiences wrapped up in metaphor and false mystical prose to make it interesting, majestic and other worldly.
Finally it’s just the words themselves False. Mystical. Prose. That’s why the words have been triple spaced on the artwork, so they can be viewed as individual statements.
3 - In your magnificent EP “False Mystical Prose”, we can claim that there are a lot of different influences, combined with a personal touch. I can remember when I first listened to it, the Reverend Bizarre effect! Can you please tell me what the main influences of the band are?
DAN: Sure, and thanks for the compliment. My influences are probably the same as many other guys who are in Doom metal bands; Black Sabbath, Saint Vitus, Reverend Bizarre, Candlemass, Pentagram, Solitude Aeturnus, Last Chapter, Solstice, Isole and the early My Dying Bride albums in particular the drumming by Rick Miah. I could go on, but to be honest I think the biggest influence on us is the stuff we have done ourselves in the past, we have just tried to keep developing our own identity.
But as you say, all of our collected influences are also a major part of our sound, and I am grateful to all of the bands who have inspired us and paved the way.
RIC: My main Influences would be Black Sabbath, Metallica, Iron Maiden, While Heaven Wept, My Dying Bride and Opeth among many others, in fact pretty much the same bands Dan mentioned
We are both self taught on guitar and all the other instruments we play actually, so I think we have always tried to develop our own style. We are very conscious to try and avoid writing guitar riffs that sound too much like another bands riffs, and don’t really copy other band’s styles. I would like to think this is why we have had such a good response from people.
4 - Doom Metal, is my favorite genre of heavy metal. Very often though, I am disappointed by the fact that many bands who used to be in the underground , became mainstream probably because of a successful effort, and forgot that they are more metal fans and less professionals. Are you into doom metal and generally into metal as well?
DAN: Doom metal is pretty much the only genre of metal I’ve listened to for the past 15 years with the odd exception, so there is no chance of Gallow God going mainstream. We would not change what we are doing if we became popular; no one gets into Doom Metal to “make it big”. And I agree that a lot of bands can alienate their fans when they decide they have out grown the Doom metal tag. I know it’s pissed me off from time to time.
RIC: yeah, I mean we are all basically in our early to mid 30’s except for the Yeti, who is a young Bastard. I think that if we were going to grow out of it, it would have happened by now.
5 - England is famous for her metal scene, as well as for many skull crushing doom metal bands. Black Sabbath, Solstice, the Lamp of Thoth, Cathedral, Warning, Mourn and also more underground bands like Witchsorrow, Khthon, Iron void and Crowned In Earth. Please tell me if what the situation in England nowadays is. Are there any true supporters of doom metal? Are there people in charge to organize concerts?
DAN: Well, we can’t really be considered part of the “scene” as we don’t know any of the other bands or anything like that, so we might not be the best people to comment on this. Things do seem to be looking up for Doom Metal in England, but few years ago things weren’t going so well. A lot of the typical venues where you might go and see a Doom gig were being closed down and there wasn’t much promotion happening. However in the last year or two there are a few promoters dealing with underground metal and specifically Doom metal that seem to have secured a new crop of venues. Not to mention all the hard work done by bands in the scene to try and get things moving again.
6 - “False Mystical Prose”, came out of nowhere in the underground and was a great surprise for everyone. What are the responses from the media and generally from the people that listened to it?
RIC: The response has been incredible, and no one is more surprised by this than us! We never expected it to take off the way it has, in fact I remember a conversation we had in the studio one night where we said, we would be happy if we sold 1 copy. Another thing is the quality of the bands we have been getting compared to and mentioned alongside, it’s blown us away, and like I said, was completely unexpected.
DAN: The fact that you even asked that question blows me away!
7 - What is the “strategy” of the band? I mean are you cooperating in composing the songs, or is it a “brain” in the band that writes both lyrics and music? I would also love to know what the general lyrical content of this EP is.
RIC: Things are definitely a collaborative effort, except for the lyrics, that’s Dan’s Department.
DAN: well, not totally, if someone else comes up with a good line or has a good idea for a song then I kind of work with that. The majority of the rhythm guitar parts for False Mystical Prose were written by Ric as well as a couple of the leads, I then added my Harmonies and leads and brought in a few riffs of my own, but Ric was definitely in the Zone on this one! The credits on the EP let you know the rest of the instruments each of us played, and we collaborated on the writing of those parts.
RIC: Usually one of us will have an idea for a riff, record it, and then we get together we Jam it for a bit and refine it, I think the new album we are working on has a more of an even split in the Guitar Department, and we are looking forward to the stuff the new guys will contribute.
DAN: Lyrically the EP focuses on subjects drawn from History, Folklore, Mythology, or stories I come up with to evoke a particular mood; Although The Sin and Doom of Godless Men is a deeply personal song for us.
8 - Have you played any gigs so far? Please let us know what the plans are for Gallow God. Maybe a good promotion of the EP including live performances in and outside UK, Or to continue with a full length album? Are there any labels which are interest in your music by the way?
RIC : We haven’t played any Gigs yet, we have really only had a full line up since October so we still need to do a bit of rehearsal to get up to speed, which can be difficult to arrange because we all have Jobs and families to fit things round.
DAN: The main priority at the moment is the recording of a Full Length, we have already started work on this but it is in the very early stages. We are aiming for an October 2011 release. In the mean time we will be rehearsing and are hoping to start gigging toward the later part of the year, to coincide with the release of the new album.
We do have some Label news as well; we are happy to announce that we have signed to PsycheDOOMelic for the release of False Mystical Prose, so you should now be able to pick up a copy of the EP from either the band or the label websites or one of PsycheDOOMelic’s many distributors.
9 - I think it is a bit early for this question, but I will ask!!! Is there a possibility that you will visit Greece for a live appearance? There is an underground festival which becomes more and more popular, called “Up the Hammers” festival, which takes place in Athens every year! I would be nice to see you live there, so if you want you can ask the guy who organizes it for further information.
RIC: Yeah we would love to come to Greece, although as mentioned earlier we probably won’t be gigging until late 2011 and throughout 2012, but there are quite a few places outside of the UK we would like to play.
10 - Unfortunately, our interview has reached the end. It was very nice talking with you and I will like to thank for all these information about the band that you shared with us. I wish the best for Gallow God and each of you personally. Bands like this should be born every day. You can close this interview as you wish!
Once again we would like to thank you for contacting us to conduct the interview you are the True Preacher of Doom \m/
We would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to check out the EP and given us such great feedback, the radio shows that have played our music, and the reviewers for the brilliant response they have given to “False Mystical Prose”. Also a big thank you to Mark at PsycheDOOMelic for bringing our Music to a wider audience.
For more information on the band or to stream “False Mystical Prose” please visit www.GallowGod.co.uk here you will find links to our Shop, Facebook and MySpace
Doom Ever Onward
Gallow God 11/02/2011
Father Alex
Children Of Doom
released, they totally persuaded me that they have entered the doom metal scene for sure. All lyrics and vocals are in Spanish which is
