Band: Ancient Rites
Date: 06.2006
Interviewer: Shadow




Interview:

Hails, Ancient Rites! Thanks for taking some time to talk to me. Though I'm sad to say, I had never heard you guys before I popped "Rvbicon" into my CD player, though I was familiar with your name. I was totally blown away by the sheer talent you guys possess. Do you feel this makes you guys stand out above the crowd of most metal bands today?
Greetings Shadow. Thanks for your interest in our band and kind words of appreciation. I think fame or talent are all relative, and competition is not constructive: there are always musicians playing better and tons of bands that are far more known than we are. I know our place in the music world; we don’t live a rock ’n roll dream. Modesty and realism do not harm anyone. Our goal is to release authentic albums we believe in, straight from the heart. All the rest is music industry and therefore trivial. But I appreciate your positive view on our latest release; it is always pleasant to have a positive feedback.  


Is there a particular mindset you take when recording in order to stay melodic, yet as heavy as you are? Is his something that just happens?
We pay attention to every detail and work hard to create “transparent” tight music; our sound has a heavy and progressive character, a lot is going on, often at high speed. It is a challenge to combine the aggression and melodic aspect, we try for the details and melodies not to drawn in a wall of sound, yet we are not willing to sacrifice the heavy character of our style. It’s always like balancing on a rope. Our sound is well structured but not planned, it comes natural.


I heard a lot of historical references in your lyrics (I was way impressed with "Crusade"). What inspires you to write about subjects such as that?
History, poetry, literature, the dark side, travels, nature, amongst other things, will always remain a source of inspiration. I don't want my lyrics to be one dimensional, therefore I try to avoid a too "sloganesque" approach. My life seems to be a constant quest for knowledge; meanwhile I try to improve my writing skills. It truly is an almost impossible task (and challenge!) to describe for instance the rise and fall of a civilisation in a few lines but I will continue trying to catch the essence of what history has been providing me: thousands of years of historical events to take inspiration from. Also masters of literature such as Lord Byron, Shelley, Baudelaire are influence. If only their spirit could guide my hand! Never expect "I sodomize you in the name of Satan" type lyrics, they are amusing and I can enjoy a nihilistic approach from time to time, but they are not at all my approach. I do not wish to preach but somehow I want to offer something through my lyrics. Even though they are dark they are always rooted in reality and never based on fairytales. Reality often is stranger than fiction, larger than life. One certainly does not need dragons or demons to achieve a gloomy atmosphere. Even when referring to Satanism I prefer a realistic (philosophical) approach, and if I mention mythical names such as Lucifer it has a symbolic meaning. I like to believe that the lyrics I write are not naive or cheap. Also concerning lyrics we are after authenticity. When for instance a poem of the French writer Baudelaire was the main source of inspiration I find it important to include parts in the original language. When I describe a place in Flanders or Holland it contributes to the concept to give the song a Dutch title. Latin philosophers should be quoted in Latin, German literature has to be presented partly in German tongue and so on...Another reason why I like to write in different languages is that sometimes certain expressions sound best in that particular tongue. Also this way of working offers variety in sound because every language has a typical colour. Besides this international approach illustrates perfectly the ANCIENT RITES attitude (different nationalities in the band), it is also a sign of respect towards the foreign fans and creates an extra bond. Needless to say there is a difference between the lyrics I write for ANCIENT RITES and the ones I created for DANSE MACABRE or write for LION’S PRIDE, after all the character of the music differs for each band as well. A harmony between music and lyrics has to be achieved.


You guys have taken a rare route of three guitarists. Was there any motivating factor in this?
We realise it’s a rather unorthodox choice but the musical possibilities within reach motivated us to take this step. Three guitarists enable us to experiment. A guitar trio does not only add to the overall power but also more interesting song structures or melodies are possible: while two guitarists perform twin leads a third can put a heavy rhythm layer underneath, the power is never lost yet more things are happening. It offers a certain kind of musical freedom. It takes discipline and tight interaction to avoid a blurry wall of sound, especially in live situations. But it was an inspiring step we felt like taking.


How do you feel about being considered one of the main forces behind the Black Metal movement over the past nearly 20 years?
Ancient Rites never received recognition from the masses but it is rewarding to see bands that really made it big mentioning us as an inspiration. We were always at the right time at the right place, unfortunately we ended up with wrong labels that lacked distribution, we were one of the first B.M. bands to tour Europe intensively but our records were unavailable. Were voted album of the month in British Terrorizer magazine for instance but our album was not for sale in the UK, we never were pushed by managers etc... Our work created a cult status and inspired musicians to form their own bands. So I guess we contributed to the scene in our own way. It is a fact that pioneering bands clear the path but do not really gain recognition. It happens in many styles. Ramones inspired entire scenes but years later bands such as Green Day or Offspring made the big dollars. Genuine Metal bands hardly ever made it to the charts but Nu Metal bands with hip hop elements do. Original Goth bands remained obscure but the new Goth Pop/Metal bands with female pin ups storm the charts. It’s an unwritten law in the music industry. No use to complain about it. So I am content with what we achieved because it is due to our own hard work and that is rewarding, regardless our very modest position in the world of Metal. Positive aspect about our “far away from any trends” position is that we slowly built up a loyal following who are not mastered by the music industry and that A.R. is still rising. Hyped bands are one hit wonders, we are a constant and are free to work according to our own rules.   


Davy Wouters is an amazing keyboardist, something which is sorely lacking these days. Have keys always been an integral part of the Ancient Rites sound?
Davy Wouters is a classical musician and his touch is essential. At Spacelab studio we collaborate with producer Oliver Phillips who is important to our sound as well, he is a master with orchestration being a demanding progressive/classical musician. Keys always have been a part of our sound, even since the demo days. Difference is that nowadays the instrument is integrated throughout the songs, in the past they provided an atmospherically modest “colour”, now the instrument is promoted and is as important as the lead guitars. I think their “filmic” character enables the listener to travel to the eras we describe in our lyrics.


Do you guys feel that you've now overcame all the obstacles that have been set in your path over the years as an underground band? What would you consider the biggest obstacle you have faced?
Band members dying, boycotts, lack of distribution, ripped off by labels/tour promoters, state security on our backs because of Satanic terrorism caused by fans, local authorities banning our gigs because we openly dare to criticize Islamist fundamentalism and praise our ancient heritage which is considered politically incorrect. To this very day we struggle with boycotts. That is fine by me, as our slogan says: “Many people hate us, we don’t care”. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and I like a challenge. A.R. will never be a mainstream safe band producing plastic horror or gimmicks to please the kiddies, nor will we ever jump on the latest fashion. We like to swim upstream. Love us or hate us, it’s a free world.   


Where there any important musical or production changes made between "Dim Carcosa" and "Rvbicon"?
Spacelab has evolved technically. We have evolved as musicians. I would describe “Rubicon” as all A.R. elements being pushed further, more of everything. The band has evolved yet still the style is undeniably A.R., recognisable and yet again different. Our music contains many layers  nowadays; everything is more epic, soundtrack like, the classical aspect is no longer limited to intro’s or outro’s, like it was the case in the past. The music is heavier and more aggressive but at the same time also more melodic, orchestral and progressive. Vocals styles offer more variety too: from extreme to melodic. Never expect the same from a new AR album, always expect an authentic A.R. record striving for variety. “Rubicon” is a combination of musical/lyrical evolution and remaining loyal to the style.


Thanks so much for taking time out to talk to me. I greatly appreciate it, and I know the fans do, too. Is there anything you'd like them to know? Any plans for an American tour in the works? Any other news you can pass along?
The pleasure was mine. These past weeks we already have played gigs in England and Germany to try out a couple of the new songs in a live situation. We will play Graspop, which is a big festival here, bands such as Guns’n Roses and Whitesnake will play there. At first we were booked as headliners for Friday night in the Metal Dome. A few days ago the Graspop organizers contacted us and asked to replace Deicide on Saturday in the Marquee. It always is a rewarding feeling to be able to present your band in such an effective way on a large stage in front of a large crowd With Rubicon released just now and being received so positively I think the promoters were influenced by the reviews and fan demand. We are looking forward to the Graspop slot. I believe it will be like a home game considering the enthusiastic mails we received from our fans. It will be a nice feast of adrenaline and a perfect way to start our “Rubicon” campaign. Gigs are planned in Germany, Slovenia, Spain, Holland, Belgium, Austria. Thank you for this conversation, Shadow. Good luck with your publication, my regards to the A.R. legions in America, hope to make it to your land one day. Cross Thy own Rubicon.

Feel free to visit our website:

http://ancientrites.be/

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