interview: Sacrament ov Impurity

interview: Sacrament ov Impurity

Back on October 14th, the black metal band Goat Torment (Belgium) played in Everett, Washington state. California black metal band Old Coven also played. The third band that night was the long-running Washington state black metal outlaws Sacrament ov Impurity, who happened to have a new album called “All the Colors of the Dark.” The album is another triumph for the band. They obviously don’t care to change due to outside pressures. So turn up the volume and listen to the screams and chaos! The album is dependable and consistent because if it’s black metal that you came for, black metal is what the band will give you. The band has been around the block a time or two and they are quite the skilled band at writing songs that you can remember. Don’t be deceived. This band wants you to remember the songs. I sure hope that I get to see the band live again! If you like black metal, be sure to check out the new album. Below is the band’s bio and after that, the band answers some questions. The Butcher (guitars and screams) answers.

History of the band:

Sacrament Ov Impurity came to be in the year 2007 by Samhain (drums) and The Butcher (guitar) after their former band, Ozzmotiarr came to an end. They were joined by XephilaX on bass and vocals and began writing and rehearsing their new material.

2008 – 2009 The first year as a band was spent perfecting their sound and playing many shows in Washington state, down to Portland, Oregon and getting their name known. People came to witness their live shows and did not leave disappointed. Their fan base grew... In the winter of 2009 they began work on their debut album, A World Beheld By Damnation.

2010 – 2011 With mixing and mastering of their album done, A World Beheld By Damnation was released in April of 2010 and was very well received by fans and critics alike. With their debut album released, they began writing new songs and playing bigger shows, sharing the stage with bands such as Mayhem, Hate and Impaler to name a few. In November of 2011 they began planning their first tour to take place early 2012, an eight day venture that would take them down the West coast to Los Angeles and back. All was falling into place, or so it seemed...

2012 As the tour dates neared, and everything seemed to be proceeding as planned, XephilaX informed the band that he would be quitting. So with two months to go before the tour was set to kick off, Samhain and The Butcher were left without a bassist or vocalist. They had a choice to make, cancel the tour, or make some major changes. They chose the latter... They scrapped all their old songs and within a few weeks had written a full set of new material to take on the road. They acquired the vocal talents of Naphula to fill in and they were ready to hit the road. The tour went better than they could have hoped, and in August of 2012 they played two shows with Hellgoat and Teratism in Portland, Oregon and San Francisco, California and were very well received. Things had finally turned around and were heading in the right direction again, or so they thought... In late 2012 Naphula unexpectedly quit the band. At this point, Samhain and The Butcher decided to carry on as a two piece with The Butcher taking on full vocal duties, and in December of 2012 they began work on a new album, Anguishing In Obscurity...

2013 With the new lineup solidified and Anguishing In Obscurity finally finished, they began planning a two week August tour in support of the album...

BEYOND... Sacrament Ov Impurity has been reborn from the ashes of their former self. Check back for updated info, tour dates and future releases. Fuck trends! Support the true underground!

THE INTERVIEW

What’s up with Sacrament ov Impurity?! It was excellent to see your band in action in little old metal-deprived Everett! I have been listening to your new album appropriately called All the Colors of the Dark. Who is the lineup playing on the album? Is it Samhain and The Butcher only?

ANSWER: Correct, S does all the drumming and I do all guitars and vocals.

The album says that only the two of you, Samhain and The Butcher, played. What are all instruments used on the album?

A: The only instruments used on this recording were guitars and drums.

Are there no outside guests for vocal parts or anything like that?

A: Not on this album but we wouldn't be opposed to the idea of having a friend or fellow musician guest on an album.

The album does not say when it was recorded? How new is the recording, actually?

A: Oddly enough, most of the songs off All The Colors Of The Dark were written before the songs off our previous album, Anguishing In Obscurity but the way everything worked out we ended up releasing the newer songs first.

What and where is Basement Studios? Who is Rob Olmsted? Is this your own home recording equipment or is it a studio in Mount Vernon? What does Rob know about recording black metal?

A: Basement Studios is our friend Robs' private recording studio in Mt. Vernon. I'm pretty sure we are the only black metal band he has worked with but he has done audio and video production for years so he knows what he's doing.

The Butcher plays guitar and does vocals, but at first he played guitars only. Is that correct or not? Is he vocalist out of necessity because of lineup changes?

A: On our first album I only played guitar and some keyboard programming but I would do live backup vocals. So yes, when we lost our vocalist I took over out of necessity.

What has The Butcher learned about doing black metal vocals over the years? How did you learn not to destroy your vocal chords doing such an extreme style of screaming?

A: It’s hard to say. I'm always trying new things and just try not to do anything that hurts my voice. I'm sure I'm not doing it "technically" right, but oh well.

How often do you try to play live? What are your goals on that front for 2016?

A: We try and play live fairly often, however at the moment we are taking a few months off to focus on rehearsal and recording new material. We do hope to tour for a couple weeks in the fall.

I just read on your Facebook page that you will be recording a new album? You say you have material for two albums?

A: We currently have around 14 unrecorded songs. We are deciding if we want to do a four song ep followed by a long ten track full length or split them into two slightly shorter full lengths.

By the way, what are other real metal bands in Mount Vernon?

A: None worth mentioning.

Did both of you go grow up in Mount Vernon? Were you both in bands in high school? What type of music did you play when you both were in bands at the beginning?

A: S went to Mt. Vernon and I went to Sedro Woolley alternative HS. I believe S was in a punk band and I just played my guitar alone in my room in high school.

Having a band is time consuming and it's money consuming. Why do you do it? How long could you live life without making music?

A: I personally wouldn't want to live life without making music and that is exactly why we put forth all the energy, time and money it takes to be an independent band for this long.

On Metal Archives it says that your first album is a live album. That's a bit different, isn't it? To start your discography with a live album. How did the live album come about?

A: At a few of our very early shows the venues would offer to burn you a copy of your live set from the soundboard. And since we didn't yet have the money for a proper studio recording it was the best way to get our music out.

How would you both say that you have changed in terms of musical perspective for black metal as time goes by?

A: There are people who think black metal needs to sound a certain way and if it deviates from that formula in the slightest it's not "true" or what not. We believe that while it's true that black metal should have a certain sound and aesthetic, it is also important that the message is rooted in black metal ideology be it Satanism, depression, nature, violence, hatred etc. And as long as your intentions are genuine, bands should be free to test the limits of what black metal can be, musically. And it goes both ways, if a band sounds like Bathory but the lyrics are about sunshine and happiness that's not black metal, I don't care what the music sounds like.

At this point, Samhain and The Butcher have sold their souls to black metal. Are you less perfectionist or more perfectionist now?

A: We always strive to outdo our previous endeavors, so I'd say the end goal is always perfection.

Do the songs get easier or more difficult to write as you get older?

A: For myself, writing comes easy when I can actually sit down and do it. Unfortunately it seems like there is always something that needs to be done, preventing me from focusing on writing as much as I would prefer.

How easy is it to go from the song that you hear in your head to the song that you record?

A: A time consuming pain in the ass... But in an enjoyable way.

I saw your band in Everett when you played with Goat Torment and Old Coven. Why do you suppose that you have not played the Everett/Marysville area that often?

A: Actually, our first show ever was in Everett, years ago. It just seems like there isn't that much going on in Everett as far as black metal. That Goat Torment show was not something I would expect to happen in Everett.

I have read that you have shows in Bellingham? What places in Bellingham book black metal?

There is a bar called the Shakedown that has some really good shows but they are mostly a punk bar, not so much extreme metal. They will book it, it's just not the norm.

Ok, that's it for now, guys. The Butcher was a maniac on stage and Samhain is a pleasure to watch him just go to work on those drums, man. What else would you like readers of Metal Bulletin Zine to know about your band? Is there anything else you would like to mention?

A: Thanks for the opportunity to do this interview. I would just say to anyone interested you can follow our facebook at facebook.com/sacramentovimpurity and find our music and other merch at www.sacramentovimpurity.bandcamp.com www.facebook.com/SacramentOvImpurity/ FUCK PC BLACK METAL! THE END.