Project Description

Interview with

BLACK TRILLIUM

Interviewer – Vicky Hebbs

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How did you all find each other and decide to share your musical talents as a group?
Simon and I grew up playing music in bands together through high school, and we formed a quick bond through our mutual love of heavy metal, which in turn led to the creation of this project in 2010. We perform and record with our friend David Schneider on drums.

How would you describe your sound? Why do you think fans resonate with your music?
We play a hybrid of death/doom metal with a mix of growled and clean vocals, and also incorporate influences from other styles, mainly gothic metal, black metal and dark rock. Our lyrics often come from a personal place based out of life experiences, mainly the negative experiences, and I think listeners can identify or find a common ground in that, especially in the context of our musical style.

Your new album “The Fatal Shore” is coming out next week! Can you share the origins or story behind the album? 
Cheers, we’re looking forward to the release day! “The Fatal Shore” is our debut album, and it’s a concept album based on a fictional character who arrives in the newly founded country of Australia as a convict aboard the first fleet ships. Through five songs we explore the emotional, mental and physical suffering endured by this character, and his journey into the life of an outcast. While the concept is based in a historical setting, the lyrics and themes of isolation, anguish and abandonment are also applicable situations to the human experience in the modern world, connecting the past to the present.

How long did it take you to write and record the album?  What was that process like for you?
To be completely honest, and I’m a little hesitant to admit it, we have been working on this album in some shape or form for the past 7 or 8 years, so it feels great being so close to launch! We had the ideas and early structures demoed for new songs starting back as far as 2014 and were also playing shows as a live unit, but after that point things got quiet for us. We had other engagements taking up our time and commitments in our personal lives to put ahead of the band. It was around 2016 that we picked up with the project again, but we didn’t want to rush out the songs in the form we had left them in. Over the following years we took our time to really nail down the composition and structure for each track, and the creation of lyrics to exist within the concept of the album whilst doing the story justice was another challenge.  We tracked the drums and guitars at Housefox Studios with our friend and all-around legend Ryan Miller at the helm, with bass and vocals being finished at our private home studios. It’s been an extensive process, and a rather ambitious record to make, but one we’re glad to have undertaken.

How do these challenging times affect the process of releasing your album? 
The COVID-19 crisis has yet to have any major negative effects on our release campaign. With everybody stuck indoors, it actually gives people more time to potentially discover new music. I think the main challenge for our band will arise in the coming months with the inability to perform the album live, due to current regulations.

Your single off the album, Banished, is out now! What is the song about and where did the idea come from? 
“Banished” is the lead single and second track on the album, dealing with themes of ostracism and betrayal. More broadly, it explores the mental effects resulting from the impact of being forced to leave your home against your own will, sentenced to an unknown fate whilst realising everyone you trusted has suddenly rejected you to uphold the status quo.

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I really enjoyed the video. Was it hard to create? The visuals are great, and the production values are really solid. You must be happy with the result.
Thank you! Our creative collaborator Mel Touw directed and produced the clip. One of the hardest parts was finding an overcast day to film on during an Australian summer, but we finally got lucky! There were several obstacles to overcome besides the weather, in particular wrapping and keeping the chains around the actor’s head for the final scenes, and just general continuity between takes. And the mosquitoes. Overall, we’re very pleased with the final outcome.

What are your plans for the rest of 2020 as a band? 
After the album launch we have a B-side left over from the writing sessions that may see the light of day, and a potential unique collaboration brewing behind the scenes, but hopefully at some point this year we will see the return of live music, which will allow us to bring these new songs to the stage. If not, we’ll have plenty of time in isolation to start writing new material for a future release.

Do you have any long-term goals or aspirations in your career? 
With this band, I would love the opportunity to tour the country, and also take our music to different corners of the world and share stages with some of the old guard from the metal scene. Playing live has been second fiddle to our project for a long time, so that would really be the next step, as well as gathering a strong following along the way and building up our name.

If you could record or perform with any living or deceased artist, who would you choose and why? 
For me it would probably have to be Mike Patton, he’s an absolute lunatic in the best way possible and a creative genius, and the man is still going! Loved seeing the Mr. Bungle reunion finally happen!

What is the best thing about performing to a live audience? 
The ability to bring our own compositions, stories and concepts to life in a live setting, having the chance to connect with people through that medium, and hopefully leaving some sort of impact on the crowd.

Finally, a few questions for some quick answers –
FAVOURITE:
Album – Many, but I’ll choose Monotheist by Celtic Frost.
Artist – Right now I’m loving Anaal Nathrakh, but Opeth and Shining (Sweden) are safe picks.
Movie – American Psycho or Fight Club.
Place to visit – Hamburg, Germany to visit family, or Scandinavia for hiking.
Venue to play – Whoever will have us!
Food – Spaghetti.
Drink – Dark ales and stouts.
Person in History – Christopher Lee
Tattoo – (If you don’t have one, what would you get?) My own design, on my right arm.

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Check out BLACK TRILLIUM below
Bandcamp – Facebook  – Instagram

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AMNPLIFY – DB