INTERVIEW: Conchúir O’ Drona – From The Bogs of Aughiska
Whilst black metal is most commonly associated with Scandinavia, to discredit the movement found here in the UK and Ireland would be doing it a disservice indeed. Since the dawn of the 21st century, the movement found on both the shores of the UK and that of the Emerald Isle has boomed, populated by bands that shine in quality. Thanks to their fusion dark ambient with the trademark black metal sound, Irish alchemists FROM THE BOGS OF AUGHISKA are one such band that have made significant rumblings in the underground. This year sees the arrival of their third effort, Mineral Bearing Veins, and we spoke to Conchúir O’ Drona from the band to talk about how the record is their harshest record to date, the themes running throughout the album alongside explaining the relationship found between dark ambient and black metal.
So, you are set to release your new album Mineral Bearing Veins later this month. What can we expect from the upcoming record?
Conchúir: I think Mineral Bearing Veins is the most complete FROM THE BOGS OF AUGHISKA album to date which combines dark atmospheric soundscapes with elements of black metal while still having the Seanchaí (a traditional Gaelic storyteller/historian) vibe going through the record. The album flows like a journey that should bring the listener on an otherworldly trip.
This is your third record and follows 2014’s Roots of This Earth Within My Blood. How do you feel you’ve evolved since your previous record?
Conchúir: This is the first FROM THE BOGS OF AUGHISKA album that was recorded as a full band and I think the overall music has taken a massive step forward. Originally I wrote all the music myself but now I’m fortunate to have three other individuals I can bounce ideas off.
They often say by the third record that a band has honed their craft and found their sound, would you agree with that statement in relation to Mineral Bearing Veins?
Conchúir: Yes, absolutely. Mineral Bearing Veins is the perfect blend of dark atmospheric soundscapes and black metal that I envisioned nearly ten years ago.
The dark ambient element to your sound has always been there but on Mineral Bearing Veins, you very much dive more into the more harsher black metal element. What was the thought behind this and what do you think it brings to the record?
Conchúir: I feel FROM THE BOGS OF AUGHISKA have always been too electronic for the metal crowd and too metal for the electronic crowd so on this record we tried to combine the best elements from both and push the sound so it can be played by a full band. As FROM THE BOGS OF AUGHISKA now features members from Belinus & Mortichnia and a former member of ALTAR OF PLAGUES, the harsher black metal element was a natural progression.
But as mentioned above, dark ambient has always been a crucial part of your sound. How do you craft this aspect to help maintain your bleak atmosphere?
Conchúir: I play around on a keyboard and software usually aided by a bottle of red wine until I’ve come up with a sound I like, build up different sound layers around it and add some field recordings and sub bass tones to give it a more cinematic feel. The bleak atmosphere comes naturally, I don’t think I could write happy music even if I wanted to.
Mineral Bearing Veins was mastered by Ken Soceron who has been involved with some fairly notable bands. Can you describe what it was like working with him?
Conchúir: Ken has been a friend for a good number of years and shares the same outlook on music as me so he was my first choice when it came to mastering this album. He heard the record for the first time while being snowed-in in Cork on his trip to Ireland in Spring earlier this year.
On the lyrical front, you cover subject matters such as cursed fairy trees, underground cave systems, isolation and more. Can you elaborate on the lyrical subject matter on this record?
Conchúir: A running theme through out this record is cursed fairy trees, this is influenced by the protest storyteller Eddie Lenihan did at the turn of the century when a lone whitethorn bush was going to be removed to make way for a new bypass between Newmarket-on-Fergus and Ennis in Co. Clare, Ireland . He warned of terrible consequences if the fairy bush was destroyed, saying that the site in 10 to 15 years time would have a higher than usual casualty list, including fatalities. In the end the planners changed the route so the tree wouldn’t be removed and it is still there to this day. The other main themes in Mineral Bearing Veins are underground cave systems and isolation which are portrayed on Poll An Eidhneain which is named after the Doolin Caves and contains one of the world’s longest known free-hanging stalactites which was undiscovered for many years. The track is about being a cursed soul trapped in the internal darkness of the cave.
Turn back to nature…
Learn to speak and call on a dying star… call it forth.
Progress is no longer an illusion.
This reality is an illusion…
I see the sky has turned to grey.
I hear the trees cry out in pain.
If only we could reconnect,
We could grow as earth expects.
For damnation we shall ride straight through the heart of the eye.
An angel shall fall.
With nowhere to call home
“fánaíochta le blianta”
Soon you shall know fear…
Ahead of the album release, last month you underwent a small tour across the UK. How did you find the tour and do you feel it has built momentum for the record’s release?
Conchúir: The tour was the first time the four of us played together lIve and it was at times quite stressful but despite some technical problems at some of the shows it was an overall success. It was good to get a small tour out of the way to see how we gelled together before we release the album.
Mineral Bearing Veins arrives as the UK black metal scene is booming. What are your views on the scene in its current form and how do you feel you stand against the competition?
Conchúir: The Irish & UK scenes are very strong at the moment but I don’t see any other bands in the scene as competition as we do our own thing and we have a lot of friends in the various bands flying the flag for extreme metal in 2018.
To close, do you have anything to say to the readers of Distorted Sound?
Conchúir: Thanks for the interview. To find out more about FROM THE BOGS OF AUGHISKA, please check out our Facebook.
Mineral Being Veins is set for release on September 28th via Apocalyptic Witchcraft.
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