Yes, that picture you just clicked on is of a headbanging trombone player. No shit! From that alone, you know that the Hungarian black metal band Sear Bliss is unusual. But one listen to their new Candlelight release The Arcane Odyssey and it’s apparent that Sear Bliss is not just about being different. They play some damn fine music as well! (Check out the review elsewhere on this site.) Trombonist Zoltan Pal was nice enough to answer some questions about the band and their unique approach to extreme music.
First, I want to ask you a question or two about your sound. It’s very unique. Where did you get the idea to incorporate horns into your music?
When Sear Bliss was founded 14 years ago, the aim of the members was to create a unique and original kind of music. This wasn’t definitely a conscious decision; it happened rather instinctively. When András founded the band, he invited his friends to join. Almost all of them lived in the same district of the town. And there was a guy, too, who was a real metalhead and played the trumpet. When they asked him if he would join the band, he didn’t hesitate too much.
Is this the first album where you used horns?
No, the brass instruments are involved in Sear Bliss since the very beginning.
You say on your website that The Arcane Odyssey is unlike any other album you’ve done. As I’m not familiar with your previous work, I didn’t know what you meant. How is this current album different from what you’ve done before?
If you listen to our records one by one, it’s easy to notice that they are very different. These differences derive mainly from the line-up changes. We didn’t make two records with the same line-up. On the other hand, we have grown up not only as persons, but musically as well. This maturity can be heard on The Arcane Odyssey. We improved on many fields of music: we are probably better musicians than some years ago, and we are better songwriters as well. The new album shows a development in the orchestration, too. Certainly, I don’t mean that the previous records are not good, or anything like that. Those albums perfectly show what Sear Bliss was when they were written. All our albums are a reflection of ourselves at the time of the songwriting period.
You also explain on the website that the cover artwork was done special for you and that it depicts a certain Hungarian legend. Could you explain this for us? What’s the legend? And why is it significant for Sear Bliss?
Yes, the cover of The Arcane Odyssey was painted by a Hungarian artist, József Tari. He painted our previous cover artwork, and Venom’s The Wastelands was also his work. The cover itself depicts a Hungarian legend, the Road of the Warriors. It is a very glorious legend, and it is also an explanation for the origin of the Milky Way. The story itself can be read in the booklet. It might be interesting to mention that we had the title – The Arcane Odyssey – first. We were thinking about what the cover should be when András came up with the idea of this legend. All of us were into it, so we called József to draw us a sketch. After he had read some books on the legend, he sent us a drawing. We liked it very much, so he started working on the painting.
Other than the horns, your sound reminds me a lot of Enslaved, so I assumed you were from
Is there a Hungarian aspect to your music? I thought “Path To The Motherland” had some definite folk-elements to it. Do they derive from traditional Hungarian music?
There has always been a Hungarian aspect to our music. There were some references to our nationality on our previous records as well, both lyrically and musically. The folk elements in “Path to the Motherland” are authentic folk themes played by folk musicians. When István composed the guitar riffs for the song, we felt that something was missing there. Then we gave the demo version of the song to some friends of ours who play in a folk band and asked them to write some themes for it. The result is what can be heard on the record. It was interesting to see them playing during the recording session. They used many (rather unknown) musical instruments that they made themselves. It was an amazing experience.
Why is there that long break in between “Somewhere” and “Path To The Motherland”? Is the latter song meant to be a bonus track? “Somewhere” actually kind of sounds like it was supposed to be the final song on The Arcane Odyssey.
Yes, there is a two-minute-long break between the last two tracks. You are right, “Somewhere” was supposed to be the last song, but we realized that “Path to the Motherland” is so much different from the rest of the songs that we could only use it as a bonus track. We didn’t want it to be left out of the record, and we didn’t want to make it a hidden track. So we decided to put it at the very end of the CD after the rest.
Didn’t Sear Bliss do music for a Bertolt Brecht play? When did that happen?
We took part in a theatrical play (The Beggars’ Opera) in 2001. It was a very unique and slightly avant garde performance. We played our own songs, but some new ones were also written directly for that project. These songs couldn’t be heard anywhere else; they are a bit different from our style. It may sound like a black metal musical. It was a weird experience for all of us, both the actors and the band.
Was there any thought to releasing the music you wrote for this? It sounds fascinating.
No, these were only made for the play. In these songs, the lyrics were given, and the actors sang these songs. We only played and composed the musical part of it. These songs are so different from the Sear Bliss songs that there would be no use in releasing them. But on our DVD (Decade of Perdition), some minutes can be seen from this play.
Who writes the lyrics for the band’s songs? Is there one principal lyricist?
Our vocalist, András, writes all the lyrics. On some former albums, there were other guest lyricists as well, but on the last two albums András was the only one who wrote lyrics. In my opinion, it is best if the person who performs the lyrics also writes them. This way, he can convey his own thoughts.
The lyrics seem very philosophical and contemplative. Is there a philosophy or general set of ideas which form their background?
No, there is no distinct philosophy behind the lyrics. We are not one of those bands who stand for or against a definite idea. If you take a look at the lyrics, you won’t find any reference to, e.g., religion, politics, or any social views. Our lyrics are kind of stream-of-consciousness type of lyrics. They are written while listening to the music. This way, the music itself evokes the images that András writes about in his lyrics. This way, our music and the lyrics are in strong connection with each other. In the case of the new album, I have to mention two songs where there is a definite lyrical concept: “Blood on the Milky Way” and “Path to the Motherland.” Both these songs are about the Road of the Warriors legend, and they are strongly connected to the cover artwork as well.
Does this background for the lyrics derive in any way from reading done by you, Andras, or the other band members? What are some of your favorite books?
Yes, anything can inspire us. Whatever we do, experience, see, or read. I personally graduated at a university as an English and American major student. So, I have read many books in my life; I am fond of reading. I am a huge fan of Stephen King. I have almost all of his books. Nowadays, I am reading Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose in English.
Would you count Sear Bliss as “black metal”? If so, why?
This is a rather difficult question that comes up again and again. If you consider only those bands black metal who wear corpsepaint and copy the early Bathory and Darkthrone records, we are definitely not part of that scene, and we don’t even want to be. But if bands like Mayhem, Keep of Kalessin, Satyricon, and Emperor are black metal, we also would like to belong to the scene.
How does black metal in 2007 differ from black metal in the early 80’s? Isn’t the approach so different, so much more serious and philosophical today, that the genre now needs a new label in order to differentiate itself? Something like “dark, philosophical metal”?
What is missing in today’s black metal is originality. It seems that too many bands want to copy the early classic records, and it is very tiring to listen to the same riffs on most of the albums. But there are some pioneers in black metal as well. I like those bands who have a distinct style, and their art is not only about copying other bands. If you listen to the Bathory albums one by one, they are different from each other; there was a sort of evolution. This evolution is what is missing from most of today’s black metal bands. As far as the philosophy is concerned, I don’t know if bands like Venom or Bathory took their Satanic image seriously or not, but nowadays the scene is full of pseudo-Satanic posers. I consider them ridiculous and disgusting. I don’t think black metal would need a new title. The genres change continually; it is a natural process. But the title you suggested would be proper for a lot of bands.
Do you have any upcoming tour plans?
It would be great to support The Arcane Odyssey with a tour. There are certain negotiations about a bigger European tour with some other bands, but nothing is set yet.
Have you ever toured the
Unfortunately, we have never been to the
Good luck to you guys. The new album is awesome! And thank you so much for taking the time to do an interview with Pivotal Rage.
Thank you for your support and for the interview. I hope we meet soon!