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A print zine founded MMXXIII, run primarily by Lolth and published by the Eastern Black Metal Inner Circle (E.B.M.I.C.), and distributed by Cult of Oblivion Recordings. Issues are compiled and published quarterly, and include content pertaining to dark underground music and other black arts.
Interview with
OCCULT BLOOD (USA)
[Taken from Spectral Sorcery, Issue #2, Winter MMXXIV A.Y.P.S.]
Lolth: When and how did Occult Blood get started?
Ohlde: Maybe 2017 or 2018, Skeld, Eth, and I formed OCCULT BLOOD as a side project/something to work on while other bands or projects had downtime. Not much of a story there. We've all been playing music together for a long time in some form or another. OCCULT BLOOD started as just another black metal side project. It wasn't until 2022 we decided to dedicate much more time and effort into the band.
Lolth What are your main musical influences?
Ohlde: Tons. 1st wave black metal, 2nd wave black metal, even modern bands. We all like stuff from all eras and all over the world. Of course, classic Scandinavian bands like DARKTHRONE, TAAKE, ARCKANUM, CARPATHIAN FOREST, CRAFT, etc... A little CELTIC FROST and BATHORY. Finnish bands like SARGEIST, HORNA, BEHEXEN. Les Legions Noires. Tons of modern influences as well! Bands like ARNAUT PAVLE, EBONY PENDANT, BLOOD MAGIC. Bands from the Korpsand Circle or Pleskeau Brethren. Bands on the Blood & Crescent label or Horrible Room... I could go on and on.
Lolth: Is there one primary songwriter in the band, or is songwriting usually a collaborative effort?
Ohlde: Great question for us, as our song writing has already been through many changes in the band's short life. For our “Rites of Loathsome Sorcery” demo, our vocalist Skeld did all the songwriting with only slight input from me. On “The Room in the Ground,” I did 100% of the songwriting and recorded the guitar parts as well. For new material (currently in the works) it's more of a joint effort between myself and our new guitarist Dend'r. Thankfully he'll be recording the guitar parts on future material.
Lolth: What subjects or ideas inspire your lyrics most?
Skeld: We’re inspired by the fantastic and the grotesque in film and books. Esoteric rituals, the wave of a mage’s hand, demon’s blood splashed over an enchanted weapon... These are the kinds of images that inspire us!
Lolth: Since the beginning of this year, you’ve played lots of shows across the Pacific Northwest, with some shows this winter further down the West Coast. Are there any hopes or plans of playing elsewhere?
Ohlde: Yeah, absolutely! Generally, we just hope to play out as much as possible. Touring as a small band is tough, especially when we aren't rich and we all work full time and have bills to pay. Sticking to the west coast is easiest and most cost effective, but we plan to hit places like Idaho, Utah, and Colorado sooner than later. Same goes for southern California. We still haven't been down to LA or San Diego, so that's definitely on the agenda. We'd love to make it further east eventually as well. No plans set in stone as of right now, but we will absolutely be working on new tour plans for 2024!
Lolth: You followed up your already great 2019 demo with a fantastic EP this year, are there any more releases in the works?
Ohlde: Yes. We will ALWAYS be working on new music. Not going to say too much about the release or spoil future plans, but we have new material in the works and plan to record for a split in Spring 2024. You can expect the release to be our most ambitious yet. Having Dend'r in the band has changed things a lot for us. The sky's the limit now. He's a real, talented guitarist, and he understands the genre very well. We have confidence to play whatever we want now and for it to come out sounding strong. I think the new material is a great progression for our sound. You can expect the music to be similar to The Room in the Ground, with added dynamism and nuance to the riffs and song structures.
Lolth: What pisses you off (if anything) about the black metal scene today?
Ohlde: Meh, can't say I let random people's actions (or bad music) have any control over my emotions. If I really dislike something, like a bad band or bad trend, I tend to just ignore it completely. Funny how things kind of just disappear from existence if you pretend they don't exist in your own mind, hahaha. Though, I will say I'm a little tired of hearing over-hyped "raw" projects that are obviously just extremely lazy, improvised, and have the "we can't play our instruments" LARP. It actually amazes me how big of a trend "raw black metal" has become. Especially all the silly "wampyric" black metal that was flooding the internet a couple years ago. But worst of all, I'm tired of basically anything that can be labelled as a "meme band." It guarantees the music is bad and is extremely ingenuine. Always made by self conscious people who lack passion for what they create. What a waste of time!
Lolth: Is there anyone you’d like to shout out or show support to?
Ohlde: I'll keep it short and sweet and just give a shout out to the labels that put out our music, Forbidden Sonority and Forbidden Keep! You guys are the best. Everyone should be supporting these labels!