Interview by Dale Roy with Anthony of M.O. November 2008…

I first came in contact with Anthony of MIsery's Omen. Some time shortly after the conception of the band. So we are coming up on decade soon since that fateful meeting. Anthony sent me their 2000 demo tape upon it's release. I immediately became entranced their music. They had a sound that was a little different than most at the time and just enough of a progressive edge to set my mind wandering through the cosmos. Now M.O. have not been a prolific band but sometimes real quality music takes time. I am not sure why I waited this long to finally interview them but the long sleep is finally over for both myself and the band...

 

 

Anthony, how is it going my old friend? It is good to talk to you after losing (sorry about that) some time. Has much changed in your personal life since we last talked (I think it was around time you filled in live with Stargazer on the Nunslaughter tour)? Do you feel like an old man in this scene (sometimes I do)?

Greetings squire Dale, tis sensual times hearing from you!

I can’t really remember too much of the years that have passed by, they all seem…… so distant and vague ??!?  It would appear that these long years are starting to catch up after all..  I did play guitar in Starslaughter on the Nungazer tour, didn’t I??

Let us know what has been happening in recent times with Misery’s Omen?

Misery’s Omen has slowly lurched towards the spawning of new musickal tidings over these last few years whilst waiting for the album to see daylight.  As the inevitable release of the album has since occurred it would seem that our slow lurch is moving toward a creep..

Aside from creeping and lurching, our website was registered by an online entity wishing to sell it back to us at a rather handsome profit, of course I gave the group a rather ugly answer.  Thankfully Abysmal Sounds have helped us out and we will have a new website shortly at the following address – http://miserysomen.abysmalsounds.com

The release of the album has consumed most of our time as of recent and now work on the layout of the LP version of Hope Dies is my priority.

Is the upcoming album considered your debut album or would it be the release a few years ago on Bindrune (which I see often listed as an EP disc)? Give us some details on where it was recorded, length spent in the studio and what you think of the final recording, sound wise?

Hope Dies is our debut album, the CD released through Bindrune is a compilation of the demo and 7” tracks from earlier times.  Hope Dies was recorded over a period of 12-14 months ending in 2004 (time has stolen the actual dates from my mind) in an antiquated analog studio in Adelaide.  In the quest for an ideal mix we waited around 14 months for a suitable engineer to become available, this eventually happened in 2006.  The time from then to now has been an epicly boring journey of events which to be honest is just too mundane  to repeat..

As a fist we believe that the final recording is very suitable, we would not release it otherwise.  However as always our quest for eternal life err….. I mean, ideal sound continues and the path ahead appears should be interesting.

How long in the making was “Hope Dies”. I know your last release was 2003 correct? Were you working on the album the whole time or has it been worked on periodically during this time period? Has the recording been in the can for any length of time?

The album took roughly 6 years to create, for the songs to become and the band to get them together.  Each ghoul of this fist has other bands they are involved and committed to and we also need to plunder our valuable time with menial tasks such as stealing from the sick and eldery for food to fill our gizzards.  Misery’s Omen is no constant entity in it’s workings only its existance!

I don’t have any cans here, but I am aware that in South Australia you do get 10 cents per can or glass bottle when recycling them.

What was the single hardest part of making “Hope Dies”, from the original thought on working on the material to the eventual 2008 release? Was the material stronger due to this long brew time?

Aside from recording late into the night until being completly fatigued, the hardest part of this release was not making it, but rather waiting at every possible interval that came afterward as we encountered delay after delay releasing it.  Indeed time was taken during the writing phase to ensure depth and meaning to the tracks, Misery’s Omen is not a band that could (or want to) produce an album in 12 months.

What does “Hope Dies” sound like in relation to past material from Misery’s Omen? You were often called a progressive black metal band from the start. So is it more a case of honing your style or is there room yet to get even more progressive?

The aural poison that Misery’s Omen creates on Hope Dies is both similar and disimilar to elder tracks from the demo and 7”.  We have lurked deeply into the musickal abyss and what we brought back with us is daemonstrated on the recording.  Ensuring that we create whilst not re-creating is an anxious task that some would say akin to juggling multiple items with one limb.  Continual and ongoing refinement and deep space exploration of the tracks is important in terms of balancing our sound.

The Australian scene has been considered easily one of the best in the world since the late 90s or so. Do you feel it is still holding on to this reputation? Is the scene continuing to reload so to speak or do feel things on the front are beginning to quiet down a little bit?

Australia has some interesting entities that construct music, although in all honesty those that are creating something of interest nowadays tend to be those who have been around for a while.  Very few ‘new’ bands spark my interest, but that isn’t to suggest they aren’t good, just bitter to my cup of tea.  I will list some currently active bands which for me personally uphold the reputation for Australia: Mournful Congregation, Stone Wings, Portal, Stargazer, Innsmouth, Nocturnal Graves, Shackles, Cauldron Black Ram, Gospel of the Horns, Demons Gate, Raven Black Night, Wurm, Vomitor, Wither, Raven Black Night, Crone, Tzun Tzu and Darklord to name those that I can recall off top my head. 

What do you like and dislike most about playing live? Surely you can tell us an interesting story related to road trip and live show / tour?

Misery’s Omen doesn’t play live Mr Dale, so this concept is rather alien. However I have performed for other bands in this capacity and the concept of playing live at times can be frustrating and irritating. The fact that bands are always at the mercy of the sound engineer and PA at the venue and thus if they suck, then you suck.

My favourite memory from touring was an incident in Europe after a big night drinking, on a train ride home. The bassist of the band at the time was looking unwell and was rather grumpy during the ride preferring to sit by himself for the journey.  When the train stopped at our destination, he abruptly bolted down the carriageway pushing all persons in his path out of the way in an effort to get to the station platform.  We gave chase curious as to what was happening. As he leaped off the train a firey infernal stream of steaming puke exploded out of his mouth whilst he was mid flight. He successfully contorted his body to avoid getting it on himself. However the danish woman in front of him wearing sandals didn’t and had her feet covered in heavy metal vomit.  The woman squealed in disgust and ran to her friends for support whilst our mate kept running to the other side of the station where he landed on all fours continuing to vomit unto the train tracks as the guitarist and I laughed our arses off!! It’s nothing really extreme but the memory of him being in mid air and twisting his body to not run into the vomit was hilarious!!

What do you like / dislike most about recording material in the studio? Is it a necessary evil to capture your creation or is the creation period the best part of the whole thing?

Conjuring new recordings is possibly the greatest experience in life. Observing a track grow from something that was just rehearsed to becoming a recording and an ‘actual’ song is very satisfying, particularly if one is content with their creation.

The evils would definitely be the cost of recording in a good studio and the small budgets bands have to produce albums with.

A question I like to ask is your opinion of old analog recording as opposed to the slick digital / pro tools? Would you say it is too easy to kind of fake things and hide weakness in performance and/or material with pro tools? What do you find helpful about the newer recording techniques? Do you think digital recordings translate to vinyl as well as analog?

A great recording is not defined by the format it was recorded on.  A band should produce an album so that the mix reflects the band, not the recording medium.  That being said every Misery’s Omen recording has utilised Analog equipment, which was a goal of mine in previous mindsets. However since operating my own studio and recording bands outside of Misery’s Omen I have discovered that digital recordings do not have to sound like the newest “insert insulting yet humorus metaphor” released by Century Media.  But you are definitely correct in that digital recording mediums make it easier for correcting mistakes and mixing, (which is a headfuck in an analog environment). I am not sure what is meant by weakness in performance because every band could potentially have a weak recording performance if they don’t have a good recording (good being subjective, but relative to the style of music). The main weakness of digital recordings is that because it’s so cheap more and more people are recording at home and ‘engineering’ their own recordings with poor or uninteresting results.

Of course everyone has a different perspective on the matter and I do not advocate that one format is better than another.  All my favourite recordings are from the 70’s on analog equipment ie Eloy, King Crimson, Camel to name only a few.  But modern costs of recording and ever reduced budgets from labels (if you get a budget) mean that as a musician I must do what I can to get the recording done. If it means making a digital recording that had 200 hours spent on recording and mixing to get the sound desired versus, 40 hours in an analog studio with a half complete recording and no budget left, the choice seems fairly clear! But I might clarify that I am not a fan of triggering and modern productions either, there is no room to them and everything is so compressed that there is no personality to the recording.

As for digital recordings on vinyl, I don’t see why it can’t sound good? I would think that the majoring of recordings for the last 10 years have at some point been transferred into a ‘digital’ format before being released on vinyl.

What is your opinion on the album “Black Metal” by Venom?

It’s metal and it wasn’t made by black people?!

Tell me what are your opinions regarding the Paranormal such as Poltergeists and other unexplained phenomena? Do you believe in things like the Illuminati? I have discussed this (Illuminati, police state, one world government) in the past with a mate of yours from Stargazer (also Misery’s Omen), is this interest something you share with him?

Unexplained phenomena does indeed interest me. I enjoy the term ‘unexplained’ because when individuals attempt to explain the phenomena it seems, well ironic. My interests are vast and open, I try to not limit the flow of information into my centrepiece with preconceptions such as ignorance. But as being only human I certainly fail as often as I succeed.  Indeed my friend and I have in the past spoke of these concepts and the conversations were both vivid and enlightening. Such discussions should only be had with those who are ready to expand their mind, not to just hear it.

Is your passion still as strong for the band and music in general today as it was when you started out? When you first picked up a guitar did you anywhere in the back of your mind still think you would be doing this today? Do you hope to make a living off of music?

The twisted flames of creativity still burn within this vessel.  My desire for music still drives me to fill those cursed cards of credit with invoices for LP’s as they are released or found!  Perhaps these days my passion is stronger than in my days of youth, I am not so blinded by ignorance!

When I picked up my guitar I knew that creating, writing, recording and releasing music was all that I wanted to do.  Nothing has or will stand in the way of my music yearnings, it’s as simple as this.  Heck I even learnt how to play drums in order to meet these needs..

Personally I find the concept of making a living from music to be flawed.  Currently I dedicate my time and resources to my music, because I choose to do this, it is both worthwhile and rewarding.  However there are times when I cannot write or am not in the mindset, so then I take a break.  If I was to be in the situation of making a living outta this, I would face unnecessary pressure to write and or release something sub standard.  But that isn’t to say I wouldn’t mind some cash now and then to inject back into my musick!!

I thank you my old friend and metal brother for doing this interview. Please end this interview, by sending hails to anyone you wish and also please fill us in on the future plans of Misery’s Omen?

T’was a sensual experience as always Mr Dale…. Greetings and gratitude to all those who have patiently waited for the album, the LP is currently being worked on, it will differentiate from the CD in layout hence the delay.

It is anticipated that a new 7” should see light of day in 2009!

Otherwise, be good to your mother.

 miserysomen@hotmail.com

http://miserysomen.abysmalsounds.com/

 

 


Misery's Omen Discography 

Demo, 2000

To Worship Stone Gods 7" EP, 2000

Misery's Omen / Cauldron Black Ram split cassette, 2002

Misery's Omen, 2003 MCD

Hope Dies, 2008 CD

 

 


 

 

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