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 There are some differences in sound from track to track on the
Ibex Throne debut, particularly from the opening song, "Anti Christian Warfare," to the follow-up, "Black Sands Through My Veins." Was the material recorded at different times and/or studios?
LD: Yes, the song you are referring to "Black Sands...." was done at a different time than the rest of the album, the difference in sound change really pissed me off, but I was not about to spend more
money to re-record the whole album even though I was tempted to and probably should have. We were mainly motivated just to have the fucker released and while
the difference is noticeable I don't see it as something too serious or anything. I've heard worse recordings production wise out there!! I think we are left with a great sounding chaotic and
ferocious album that does not leave the listener unsatisfied with the ultimate feelings of hatred and devastation that are present obviously.
Most people do not start off listening to music as extreme as death or black metal. They are exposed to bands that serve as a gateway into heavier forms of music. What were the
bands that first set you on the path to where you are today as a musician?
AC/DC without a doubt, and Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath as well. When I was younger I heard these bands and it may sound cliche but I felt it was like evil and it really got my dick hard so to
speak. I hadn't heard anything as unashamed and just ball breaking heavy at that point. I saw Angus Young, Dave Murray, and Tony Iommi as the reasons why the guitar was made and I
wanted to live up to that sort of musicianship. Obviously much has changed in my ambitions because being that caliber of player is not as important to me anymore. To me, it is more about sounding
ugly, frantic, and hateful now with no short supply of aggression. I still really respect those guitarists though.
The world’s largest ball of chewed-up gum.
Specifically, what black metal release was your gateway into the genre?
Mayhem - Deathcrush and the Emperor/Enslaved split really lit the torch in the darkness for me.
With the appreciation for "ugly, frantic, and hateful" guitar work, who are the guitarists you admire that convey that feeling?
Euronymous, Quorthon, Tom Warrior (mainly the Hellhammer stuff, but also the brilliant To Mega Therion album from Frost), also I really like the guitar work going on in the Vlad Tepes releases. Oh
and Darkthrone were doing some of the most ugliest guitar work for their time. Under A Funeral Moon and Transilvanian Hunger espescially, you must know what I mean when it just sounds
UGLY! Hahahah I use the word way too much but it's really the only way I can explain it.
It seems that in the underground, and with USBM in particular, when a band achieves some level of commercial success, however limited, even if they do not change their
style, they are considered to be "sellouts." Do you feel popularity can be equated with selling out?
Yes to a certain extent, a lot of people who get this sort of notoriety start acting like fucking rock stars and that they are above all of the rest of the warriors. We have always made the
statement that we have never decided to be famous or above anyone, we are the same as all the other blackhearts out there that have hatred and fury flowing through their veins constantly.
We are one of the people. fuck fame, money, notoriety and shit, that is for people with obviously different motivations.
The bassist wears a robe. Some say to cover up a tattoo he got of the dad from Family Ties. You didn’t hear it here though.
What one song do you feel is most indicative of what you hope to accomplish with Ibex Throne and why?
Definitely our last two songs we wrote "I Fucking Kill" and "Ritual of Cursed Bloodlines" because the style is perfectly Ibex Throne and the messages behind both songs are representative of what
we feel and how we are as people. Nihilists and Occult fanatics. We want to accomplish nothing but total indifference and negativity towards this world. I hate this place more and more everyday.
Ibex Throne walks the line between chaotic death metal, akin to Blasphemy and Beherit, and raw black metal. What differentiates black metal from death metal for you?
Mainly the aspects of darkness. When I speak of Death Metal I mean the ancient evil stuff, not all this gore crap that jocks masquerading as metalheads are playing. The old ways of death
and black are dead but we try to keep it alive by walking the fine line of both genres. Back in the 80's you could call Bathory a death band, then turn around and call them a black metal band
and it still meant the same thing because it was all about the music being grim and deadly. Now it is a split genre and the perpetuation of that breeds mental retardation in the minds of
each sub genres fans. I know a lot of cool people within the scene, and good strong warriors that support total domination of everything. But on the same time there is more than double the
fucking teenage dipshit faggots who have no clue what the worshipping of death is about.
In your opinion, is the ideology of black metal as important as the music?
 Not for some people I guess, but I think they are one in the same,
that is why Black Metal has made such a lasting and strong impact as it has (that being the second wave). Black and true Death worship metal is not for fun, musicianship or hobbies, it is the
calling of unholy spirits to carry out evil deeds and to rise above pitiful social and positive morals that faggot organizations like Judeo-Christianity and Islam has instilled into the world platform.
What are the three most monumental black metal releases, in your opinion?
Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, Bathory - s/t and Darkthrone - A Blaze In The Northern Sky. All three of these albums made more impact than any album in my opinion. They are
all blueprints to what black metal should be in my opinion. Other honorable mentions are Blasphemy - Fallen Angel of Doom, Von - Satanic Blood and Beherit - Drawing Down The Moon, very epic
monumental releases. Ah yeah, and I can't forget the first three Venom albums as well, but one thing about Venom is that they were the grandfathers so there is really no need to mention them,
anyone who knows true metal knows Venom are gods.
Agreed, Venom are absolutely metal gods. In your opinion, does the fact that they obviously were never really into Satanism or the occult beyond for sheer "shock value"
detract from their legacy at all? The most obvious evidence would be Abbadon and Mantas wearing "right-side-up" crosses for the photos on the Prime Evil album.
I guess it does in some way, but really, I mean they wrote lyrics like "Hell has granted me three wishes, life death and immortality, I
have rode the wings of darkness, fucked your bastard trinity," so whether they were seriously into the occult or not doesn't matter much to me because the potency of true darkness was in their
music. I have not even paid much attention to the albums they released after Possessed, so whatever they were doing on Prime Evil (with the Demolition Man or whatever the fuck he was) was
really of no interest to me. The first three albums like I said are just a trilogy of fucking great satanic and dark tunes.
What do you think of the post-Euronymous releases, like Wolf's Lair Abyss and Grand Declaration of War?
Wolf's Lair was okay, but Grand Declaration of War was a fucking hideous abomination in every sense of the word. Fucking Maniac looks like Marilyn Manson and it's so gay it makes me vomit and not in a good way.
Ibex Throne live at the 2002 Latin Music Awards.
What artists are you a fan of that would be uncharacteristic of a black metal fan?
Not too many but I enjoy earlier works of Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Velvet Underground, The Doors. Also I am way into old school heavy metal like Witchfinder General, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest
etc. Some old punk like GBH, Misfits/Samhain, the Exploited, DK, and a lot of white power punk like White Pride, SS Totenkopf and others as well. I'm not NS or anything but I like that shit for some
reason. Also some classical and soundtrack scores are great as well.
How often has Ibex Throne performed live?
I don't know how many times, but we have played a lot live this past year, something like 15-20 shows or so. This is about to change, we will not be playing live very often anymore except for
tours. No more one off shows and long travels for one show at all anymore. Tired of that shit.
What was the best and worst gig you have done to date and why?
Best gigs so far I think are the first Nihilistic Death Fest (an annual event we host every year), Localized at the Urban Lounge (last August) and the Denver show we did last December. The
performance was top notch; the atmosphere was perfect (lot's of blood, fog, dead animals, rabid screaming maniacs!!). Worst gig was the Sacrifice of the Nazarene Child festival, we went down
there and totally blew it, we should of been on top of things much more but hey sometimes a gig just goes to shit beyond your control!!
That hand on the left belongs to a hand model. No shit. He works for Isotoner. Fucker is always sticking his hands in pictures to get free publicity. I HATE that guy.
With the recent outpouring of new black metal bands, especially here in the US, what do you feel sets Ibex Throne apart from the masses?
The fact that we do not take part in a constant retarded sea of asslicking and scenism like most bands do. I support a lot of US bands but I don't support them just because they are from the
US, you know? They have to have killer music first off, and a hateful vision of war and the great murders and rapings that we all cherish. What sets us apart is that we are out here virtually alone
in the West (most bands are from central and eastern States) and we have little or no contact with anybody so I think it makes us a bit more hateful, cynical and definitely misanthropic. We are from
goddamn Salt Lake City for hell sake! I mean do you know how fucked up this place is? We have to put up with all kinds of retarded shit from the retarded Mormons and other weak fools. It
is enough to drive you insane, or start a radically nihilistic and chaotic black metal band, I see no difference in the two hahaha!
How many beers does it take for you to get good and loaded?
Well considering Utah beer is 3.2% unless bought from the liquor store (which is ridiculously expensive) I'd say it takes me a good 24-30 beers to get fucked up here. When I am abroad it will take
me like 10-15 or so, the higher alcohol content is great, and saves some money! I drink a lot of Vodka and Whiskey mostly these days. Drinking for me is all I have left that brings me some sort of
pleasure, that and sex.
“Bubble Yum RULES!”
In all honesty, and I am not asking this as a joke Do you celebrate Christmas with your family?
Not really, I mean they have a dinner of Christmas day and I usually eat, but as far as sitting around singing celebrating the Lord, Christmas carols, opening presents together, etc. etc. FUCK
NO! I don't care about this holiday, Jesus was gay and brain-dead! I don't even like receiving gifts that much, I just ask for money instead.
RELATED LINKS:
Official Ibex Throne Dungeon
Elegy Records
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