ECLIPSE ETERNAL INTERVIEW : Interview with Voldamares - Vocals Interview Date: August 2006 Interview conducted via e-mail by: Clare B.

RELATED LINKS : Official Homepage Eclipse Eternal @ MySpace.com Eclipse Eternal Live Photos, July 10 Video: "Approaching Storm" Live at Trois-Rivieres MetalFest

Toronto Black Metal band Eclipse Eternal has won over the admiration and respect of fans in the genre during their seven year stint. Though the early days were more chaotic, the band has now settled into a stable quintet and are recording their second full-length album, “Übermensch: Evolution Beyond the Species” at E.S.P studios in Toronto (which the band built themselves). You can find their debut record, “Reign of the Unholy Blackened Empire” (2004, Galy Records) in stores or by following this link.
Vocalist and band founder Voldamares took time out of recording to answer all my questions via e-mail. Thank-you.

Also, the article based on this interview will appear in the October ’07 issue of Caustic Truths magazine.

Clare B. So Eclipse Eternal is currently recording the new album. How is that going? Want to tell us a bit about what’s going on?

Voldamares: Yes; we are currently in the studio recording our second full-length album Übermensch: Evolution Beyond The Species.  The drums tracks are all laid out as are the guitars and bass.  Right now we are recording the vokills. So far everything sounds killer. Very fast and dark. We’re all looking forward to hearing the final result as we all have put so much into this album. 

CB: How do you feel it differs from “Reign of the Unholy Blackened Empire”?

Voldamares: This is a much more mature album. It’s far more old-school black metal in feel than Reign and yet more technical and forward thinking. The ideas portrayed are also far more mature and well thought out. Reign was more about metaphors and brutality,  while this album is more about creating an atmosphere to make the listener actually feel the words and thoughts that are being sung. There is more depth in the songs than ever before.  This is probably also due to the fact that our influences have changed considerably.  We’ve gone from being highly influenced by bands like Dimmu / Cradle / Emperor  to being more in tune with groups like Satyricon / Dawn / Immortal.  That, of course, changes our mindsets a bit.

CB: From what we’ve heard of the new songs, they’re quite different from the songs on the first album. How do the two albums tie together in your mind?

Voldamares: Well, when it comes to the lyrics like I said before the first album was more based on metaphors that described stages in a person’s mental evolution from embracing one’s own death to becoming someone who stands above all others and chooses their deaths.  This album is more universal in theme. It is not as first person in many aspects as the first album was. The themes in the first album were also very satanic in nature and we have moved away from that with this album.  This album swings broadly from Nihilistic songs to more forward thinking Nietzsche influenced songs of growth and evolution to Paganism and pride. This was not a conscious effort like the last album but a subconscious one that mostly came to me in sleeping and waking visions.  The only similarity between these albums is that we played them both and therefore the sounds and playing style are going to be somewhat similar.  Fans of our old album will have undoubtedly grown since then and I believe they will find this new album refreshing.  

CB: Can you give fans an idea of what to expect  on “Übermensch”?

Voldamares: Thick brooding atmospheres, shreaks of disgust, words of inspiration (inspiring to greatness inspiring to violence, etc),  speed and technicality mixed with disturbing melodies that create a soundscape unlike anything made before.

CB: “Reign” was released through Galy Records. What about “Übermensch”? Are you working with Galy again?

Voldamares: We are not in talks with Galy to release this CD at this time but we will see where the future leads.  We are currently taking offers.

CB: Now, the title of your upcoming record is “Übermensch,” a Nietzsche reference. Care to tell fans what it’s all about and how it relates to the music?

Voldamares: The reason the album is thus titled is because the Übermensch is the future of this species. The word humanity has been so watered down by centuries of morality that it no longer deserves to be treated with respect and reverence as it should have been.  Instead I suggest those of us who believe in the possible greatness of our people (our people not based on race or nationality but based on species) throw off the name human and take up the new moniker of Übermensch. The word Übermensch itself is defined in Nietzsche’s book “Twilight of the idol: The Antichrist” and is far to complex for me to lay out here. Suffice it to say that the Übermensch is a person whose very existence is revolved around making himself / herself perfect in every way. A person who sees intelligence and strength as the building blocks of the future.  A person who can hold his/her head up in pride without regrets or remorse.  There isn’t a more important idea that I could write about.  Now, not all the songs on this album are specifically related to the Übermensch but there are those songs whose lyrics were so potent that they demanded this title.

CB: Musically where do you see the band going in the future?

Voldamares: More atmospheric more disturbing more flowing arrangements.  More complicated yet never too complicated.

CB: How would you describe Eclipse Eternal to somebody who had never heard the music?

Voldamares: Eclipse Eternal is black metal. Hateful, violent, forward-thinking, heavily atmospheric, disturbing, thought provoking, flowing black metal with a dark rhythmic groove. 

CB: Why does Eclipse Eternal choose to wear corpsepaint onstage?

Voldamares: We wear corpsepaint / warpaint to remove ourselves from the ordinary and put ourselves on another plane of thinking.  As we put it on we remove the humanity that is beneath and let loose the primal within.  We take on the personna that we look up to and become what humanity fears. Sometimes when you look into the face of the abyss we look back into you.

CB: What do you want fans and listeners to get out of your music and live shows?

Voldamares: I want fans to leave our live shows feeling that they’ve seen and heard something they’ve never seen before and will never see again. Disgust, inspiration and truth mixed and shoved down there throats. Reality broken down and replaced with what could be.  We want to show in our live performances what black metal is all about. Grim violence, disgust and stark truth.  I want people to look into our eyes when we’re performing and see deadication and hate reflected right back at them.  We are their hate and pain personified.    On CD we attempt to channel all our pride, our hate and all our disgust with life are and turn it to music.  Each song “sounds” like the lyrical content that’s portrayed within it.  Thick atmospheres seep into the brain and force the listener to feel what we’re feeling and understand what lies beneath.

CB: Eclipse Eternal has played with some awesome bands like Behemoth, Averse Seferia, Necronomicon, Dimmu Borgir, Exhumed… the list goes on. What are some of the most memorable shows?

Voldamares: The most memorable show we ever did was with a local black metal band called Feral Horde. They were supposed to headline the show but due to a request by them we ended up headlining.  The reason it was the most memorable to me was that the audience was absolutely rabid and we were in turn churned into a rage beyond anything we’ve felt before or since.  The pit was so violent that night that one fan broke her leg in the pit yet kept on moshing till the show ended. It was a beautiful site seeing so much violence rage around us.  Another show that stands out was the show we did with Akercocke. The show was absolutely insane. We put on a really killer set ourselves and then were able to witness the brilliance that is Akercocke live.  That whole show just blew everyone away.

CB: Any gigs coming up? Tours planned? Voldamares: We have a show on October 20th [2006] with Wolven Ancestry (one of the best Canadian black metal bands ever), Cryptic Winds and Gotherfall. Seeing that we are in the process of recording we have decided to concentrate our efforts of that for now.

CB: You started the band in 1999 and have been the only consistent member. How has the band changed since its early days?

Voldamares: In the beginning I wanted this band to be really melodic and symphonic based as I was really into Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir and Emperor at the time.  Due to our constantly changing line-up we actually ended up sounding a lot more chaotic than I had wanted at that time.  Ironic because that is more what I’m into now.  As I incorporated new more qualified members our sound progressed and became more along the lines of what I had originally wanted.  The songs became more symphonic, melodic and intelligent. When we recorded the first album there was only 3 core members of Eclipse Eternal (Lord Abaddon [guitar, bass, orchestrations], Wulfgar [drums] and myself). Since then we have added 2 other members (Rose Sodomy on Bass and Trozambach on Orchestrations) and matured greatly.  The focus went from being very melodic and catchy to being very dark disturbing and atmospheric. We have kept the melody but it is now more warped and disturbing than catchy.  Also the vocal style has progressed greatly since the beginning. When I started I tried to really stick to highs and lows without really working on range. The screams were somewhat reminiscent of Hecate Enthrones and the lows reminiscent of Cradle of Filths.   Now I have left those behind for the most part and really tried to use my voice as an instrument to bring about visions in the listener and less of a battering ram to the face like before.  The lyrics have also progressed as I have evolved quite a bit since the beginning.  

CB: So you guys have some new members, bassist Rose and Trazombach on keys. How did they come into the picture?

Voldamares: I met Rose outside of one of our shows.  She told me she was looking to be our bassist.  I had in fact been looking for a permanent bassist for quite awhile so we exchanged info and went from there.  At the time I was unsure of her ability due to her size and youth but she quickly proved my preconceptions wrong. She is more talented and mature than men double her size and age...

...The newest member of the band, Trozambach,  came to us through her friendship with Rose.  I had been looking for a keyboardist since the beginning of the band; so when Rose mentioned she knew one that was really talented and willing, I had her come in and do a couple of practices with us.  She turned out to be exactly what we were looking for. Talented, strong-willed and intelligent she has finalized the group’s expansion.

CB: Many members have come and gone, but the line-up of you, Wulfgar and Lord Abaddon has been stable for a while— and then you’ve gathered two newer members. Do you see this line-up being a fixed thing for the next while?

Voldamares: We are a band of highly individualistic persons who stay together because we are all in the same mindset right now and we know that this is where we belong at this moment in time.   Right now I believe we have the perfect line-up and I don’t see it changing anytime soon but if one of us decides to leave then we will embrace that change and grow from there. We will not be stopped.

CB: How have your views on making music and the music industry changed over the years?

Voldamares: My views have not changed. I expected to be used by the industry and I have been. I also expected that I would need to use the industry to get what I wanted and I have done that. There are no illusions here.  I know the negative side of the industry.  I know the egos, the melodrama that comes with the business.  I thrive in adversity. I will triumph and those that I work with will as well.

CB: Where did the name ‘Eclipse Eternal’ come from? What does it mean?

Voldamares: The reason I chose the name is because Eclipses bring about great change in the world and the world is in need of great change, and change that is permanent; eternal. 

CB: What’s the band’s writing process like?

Voldamares:  Lord Abaddon writes riffs Wulfgar makes accompanying rhythms. After the songs structure is ready I add the vocals.  I put prewritten lyrics to the song depending on how it feels.  Rose then puts down the bass riffs and Trozambach creates the songs atmosphere. Then we go back over it all a hundred times and change everything until we are satisfied.

CB: Who are influences to you and the band?

Voldamares: My personal musical influences are quite broad.  I take a lot of influence from black metal bands like Leviathan, Forgotten Tomb, Marduk, Gorgoroth and Dawn. But I also take influence from other styles of music as well. Immolation, Deicide, Primordial, Solefald, Sopor Aeturnus, Wumpscut, Psyclon Nine, Virtigo, Collective ect.. Outside of music I am influenced by writers/philosophers like: Nietzsche, Charles Baudelaire, Anton Lavey, The MLO, Clive Barker, Terry Brooks etc.   So you can see my tastes are rather eccentric.  The band as a whole on the other hand is mostly influenced by bands such as Dawn, Satyricon, Immortal, Old Man’s Child, Enslaved, Marduk, Emperor, Mayhem, Leviathan, Annal Nathrakh, Kult Of Azazel and Dimmu Borgir.  The thing about it is, we don’t actually sound like any of these. They just help in the formation of ideas. 

CB: Are there any bands you’re currently listening to or would like to endorse at this point?

Voldamares: Yes absolutely. I put my full support in all bands that are part of the Order Of  The Wolf. I myself am the creator and make sure all the bands that are a part of it are what they say they are. Elite black metal outfits that believe what they preach. I hate fakes. Pansies and peacemongers are not welcome. No bands like that will be admitted.

CB: What do you think of Canadian (Black) Metal? Is there a certain style or sound? Anything distinguishing about the culture?

Voldamares: Canadian black metal is like black metal everywhere. There are quality bands and there are shit bands. There are fast bands like Nefastus Dies / Operation Winter Mist; there are more grim slow bands like Funeral Fog / Empyrean Plague; there are epic bands like Wolven Ancestry / Obscurcis Romancia that use keys and there are pagan black metal bands like Ultgar / Pagan Hellfire.  There is no one particular sound that all Canadian black metal bands emulate. As for anything distinguishing about the culture here that might influence the music… no our culture here is pretty watered down with every other culture out there.   

CB: Can you tell us a bit about the Toronto Metal scene?

Voldamares: The Toronto metal scene is a fickle thing. You can have a show one week that brings out a hundred people and the same type of show the week after that will only have ten people come out. I believe the problem is that the people are so busy with work here that they rarely take the time to get out and actually live. It is the curse of this city.  What is good, though, is that we have a lot of really good promoters here that bring in lots of quality shows and do their best to make people come out.

CB: You have songs up on the website and hand out samplers at shows, but what do you think of people downloading the entire album?

Voldamares: We do not support downloading of entire albums; but if it happens it happens. We are not in this for money or glory.  If you download, the least you can do is buy a shirt and show your support at shows.  Fans must understand that if they download the album instead of buy it they take money directly out of the pockets of the artists and seeing that black metal bands don’t sell many CDs in the first place this makes it very difficult to keep recording tracks. So if you want more music… you get the drift.

CB: What are your views on the presence on the Internet in music?

Voldamares: There are definite good points and plenty of negatives. For one thing the internet makes it easier for smaller bands to get their names out there and promote themselves. We use myspace to do just this (www.myspace.com/eclipseeternal) . Also websites like ours (www.eclipseeternal.com)  give listeners the ability to read  bios, see pics, tour dates, lyrics etc.  Then again the internet gives the weakminded the tool they need to vent their useless opinions.  The internet is full of these “trolls” posing as adults bitching about this or that.  Useless people who would never say such things in the outside world use the internet to make themselves look important. I fucking hate it.   

CB: Any words for your fans and supporters?

Voldamares: When the time comes and you stand on the battlefield know that we will stand beside you. Hold your heads up in prid,e my comrades, for you stand above all others.  We are one. We are legion. Hail!
 

Interview conducted by Clare B.