Winterfylleth band members Chris Naughton (Vocals/Guitars) & Nick Wallwork (Bass/Vocals) from English Black Metal band Winterfylleth. Interview October 23, 2012
Winterfylleth Interview
Could you tell me about the recording the Winterfylleth album The Threnody Of Triumph?
Nick – Recording for this album was once again done at Foel Studios in Wales with producer / engineer Chris Fielding. We had recorded our previous album “The Mercian Sphere” there a couple of years previous so we felt a lot more comfortable coming in this time round – having got to know Chris a lot better in the interim etc. It’s a great location for a band like us I think, as you can get away from the distractions of modern life and really focus on the album 100% whilst you are there, due to its secluded location and atmosphere. We think the end result sounds fantastic – having a really rich, earthy tone with a lot of body.
How did the song writing process work for Winterfylleth?
Nick – The song writing process for this album was slightly different from the last one as it was more of a group effort this time round. Obviously myself and Mark had had longer to be truly embedded in the band by the time we came to writing this one – so there were more ideas flying around between all of us when we started to put our minds to it – whereas the bulk of the last album was pretty much in existence at the time of myself and Mark joining. As far as piecing music together, we aren’t a band who jam stuff out as a collective in the rehearsal room. We tend to find it easier to sit down at home in front of the computer and play with riffs and ideas in groups of 2 or 3. This helps us to focus on the music in a much more controlled way without the distortions and interference of jamming it out in the rehearsal space. Usually it seems that the music always comes together first with the lyrics fitting around that at a later date.
How is the Black Metal scene in your area?
Nick & Chris – If we’re talking on a local level then it’s pretty much non-existent as far as local bands go! There isn’t a hell of a lot of Black Metal bands coming out of Manchester or Hull. But if we’re talking on a more national level then things are definitely picking up for this style of music. I think for a long time, British Black Metal was always viewed as a poorer cousin to the more widely accepted Scandinavian scene, but in recent times it seems there has been a shift of focus with a glut of great releases over the past few years with some genuinely exciting music being made. When we consider that bands like Wodensthrone, Fen, Cnoc An Tursa, Fyrdsman and Falloch have all come through in recent years then it is starting to feel like there is a coherent scene within the British Isles that we can all get behind.
What is Winterfylleth currently endorsing for equipment?
Chris – I am endorsed by Caparison and Hudson guitars. They are beautiful handcrafted instruments and really aid in the tone of the albums. Maybe unconventionally for a Black Metal band we drop tune to B – which is more akin to Doom Metal tuning, using heavy gauge strings etc which help to give it a fatter, more organic sound. The Caparison that I use is a Dellinger FX, so its natural tuning is in B and is set up to deal with the custom gauge strings and tone requirements we have as a band. I think you’ll hear the fantastic results it offers on the album.
Any tours coming soon for Winterfylleth?
Nick – No tour planned as such currently, but we have a couple of festival shows lined up – firstly at the Damnation Festival in Leeds in November and then as part of the Redemption Festival in Dublin, Ireland in February, where we have been asked by the lads in Primordial to appear as part of a bill they have put together – something which we are of course very honored to do. However, as we have the new album – we certainly will be looking to play some of our own shows over the next year, so we can showcase more of the material, playing directly to our own fans.
What do you think of the music industry today and where it is going?
Chris – I think the music industry is in a state of flux at the moment. Downloads, both legal and illegal have eclipsed physical sales to the point where bands cant really look to music as a full time job anymore; rather a semi professional hobby. I think it is positive that the internet has allowed music to be more widely available and has allowed bands to be heard by people all over the world. But equally i think it is negative in that it has commoditised music for many people, and hit sales/bands/labels so hard that labels cannot sustain themselves and the industry in certain parts is really hanging on by a thread. Vinyl revival, custom packaging and merchandise may be a way to combat this to some extent (and we are seeing a lot more bands and labels going into this) but the fact remains that the advent of mp3s has taught a new generation of people to treat music more disrespectfully & irreverently than we have done in the past. The result i believe is the turmoil we see the market in currently.
What could we find interesting in your music collection at home?
Nick – Well you certainly won’t find JUST black metal albums, but of course you will find a lot of them! It’s a very broad question and across the 4 of us we have a pretty wide musical interest, ranging from the more obscure underground metal to folk music, ambient, drone, noise, classic rock and even drum & bass. So a pretty wide mix for sure.
Could you describe what goes on in a day in your life as a musician?
Chris – Well, for us, its the same as most people. Work. As i mentioned above, we cannot at this point consider doing the band full time given the state of the market. This makes things harder and means you have to re-prioritize a lot of things to fit it in. We all care about it so we all do. But you can see why it gets to some bands and causes issues.
Would you say the health of the Music scene is coming stronger?
Chris – I’m not really sure what you are getting at? The UK/Ire scene is definitely growing stronger and we are seeing bands reaping the rewards of this by taing their music further afield, but as i mentioned, the industry is under a lot of pressure, so that affects the scene as a whole a great deal.
Any words for future musicians?
Nick – Just to basically believe in what you do and to be passionate about it and how it comes across. You should create music firstly for yourself and if it strikes a chord with you and makes you want to listen to it again – then it could be that you’re onto something. I think it’s easy to spot which bands / musicians are in it for the right reasons and people can tell the difference between those whose hearts are in it and those whose aren’t.
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