1. Hails please introduce yourself to the readers?
BF: Hails! I am BF and I play bass in Ritual Clearing.
OM: OM and I play guitar.
BP: BP, and I am the drummer for Ritual Clearing
DM: I’m DM and I do vocals
2. When did you first discover black metal and who were the first bands you discovered?Who are some of the current bands that have caught your attention?
BF: I first heard about black metal at some point in 1997 or 1998. There was an article in a heavy metal magazine talking about Faust & Varg and their respective prison sentences. The whole thing seemed otherworldly to me. I didn’t hear the actual bands until a later time, but the severity of that article stuck with me. The first black metal bands I actually listened to were probably Darkthrone, Bathory, and Gorgoroth. Some current black metal bands that have caught my attention are Sulphuric Night, Vrorsaath, Solar Temple, Black Vice, Departure Chandelier, & Vaal.
OM: I found out about bands like Sodom, Celtic Frost, Venom, Hellhammer, and Mercyful Fate from thanks list from other bands. I had always thought that black metal and early crust punk/d-beat had a common ancestor or something.
BP: In my late teens around 2000/2001through some friends I was first exposed to bands like Emperor, Burzum and Immortal, and black metal adjacent bands like Dissection which blew me away. The metal I had been listening to mostly up to that point was skewed toward thrash and more traditional “heavy metal” and being exposed to bands like that kicked off an exploration of both black metal and death metal. Currently, I am greatly enjoying bands like Nahtrunar from Austria, the group of bands from the Netherlands that include Iskandr, Turia, Solar Temple and Lubbert Das. Sainte Marie des Loups from Canada has also been in constant rotation, along with Funeral Presence from the US. So many others as well.
DM: I’m in a similar boat to BF, I had heard the stories out of Norway before ever actually hearing the music, and then the members of my middle school thrash metal band played Mayhem at practice one day. I didn’t actively get into it on my own until further down the line. Some of my current favorites are Yellow Eyes, Funereal Presence, Mizmor, Obsequiae, Vale, Paysage D’Hiver, and Departure Chandelier.
3. When did you first get the idea to start Ritual Clearing and are you satisfied with how everything has gone so far?
BF: BP and I had been playing in the live incarnation of Death Vanish with Lord Valder from One Master in late 2018 (and still perform with DV today). We really enjoyed the dynamic, as a rhythm section, playing black metal and wanted to take that creative energy and put it into a new project. We reached out to some friends of ours who we thought might have interest, and they came on board. We’ve all known each other for a long time, so being able to work on this project together is very satisfying.
BP: As BF mentioned, we had been playing together as a rhythm section with Valder from One Master’s project. We wanted to keep it going, so recruiting some long time friends was the perfect move to complete the lineup
DM: BF reached out to me once the general idea for the band came together to see if I’d be interested in joining to do vocals. We had tossed the idea back and forth in the past of working on some sort of black metal project, and I was eager for a chance to do something different from my main musical project.
4. What is the current line-up of the band? For the readers who have never Ritual Clearing's music how would you best describe it?
BF: The current lineup is myself on bass, BP on drums, RG and OM on guitar, and DM on vocals. We pay proper tribute to our Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish forbearers, while bringing in elements of newer styles, such as atmospheric black metal or depressive suicidal black metal. Those influences absolutely stick with us.
BP: BF greatly summed it up. It is important, for me, to maintain a primitive aesthetic. Too much polish immediately turns me off from a band. I strive for a mix of primitive and hypnotic while still having enough riffs to make you bang your head.
DM: I’m definitely more inclined to the SDBM side of things, so I pull a lot of inspiration from those kinds of bands vocally.
5. The self-titled EP. will be released through Eternal Death when did you first come in contact with this label?
BF: Lord Valder at Eternal Death is an old friend and current bandmate via Death Vanish. He supported Ritual Clearing upon its inception and we are grateful to work with someone we know so well in getting this project out into the world.
6. How long did it take the band to write the music for the debut EP.? Does the whole band take part in the writing process or does one member usually write everything?
BF: I think the songs came together over 6-8 months. Most of the band rehearses frequently, with our vocalist joining us a bit more sporadically due to distance. It has proven to be a fairly organic process, where someone will bring a part and we will collectively work it out. BP plays several instruments, so his influence on these songs is notable.
DM: Yeah I’m pretty uninvolved in the writing process in terms of riffs and structure. They send me ideas as things come together and then when I can I’ll come up to practice with everyone and iron out the vocals in the context of the full band.
7. Who usually handles writing the lyrics and what are some subjects you all wrote about on the debut release? Which usually comes first the music or the lyrics?
BF: Thus far, music has come first and lyrics are added afterward. Conceptually, however, our vocalist DM has ideas that he’s been working with all along the writing process.
DM: I handle all the lyrics - a lot of the songs on this EP deal with anger and frustration towards people destroying each other, destroying this planet, and the indifference towards all of it that permeates
8. Besides the upcoming debut EP. does the band have any other merchandise currently available or coming out soon?If yes where will the readers be able to purchase the bands music and merchandise? BF: We have embroidered patches that will be available via our bandcamp (https://ritualclearing.bandcamp.com/), and we are working on some shirt designs as well.
9. Has the band started working on new music for the next EP. or would you like to write a full-length?How long does it usually take to complete one song?
BF: We’ve already written a few songs in addition to what appears on the EP. Our writing can be a bit sporadic, but we know each other well, so things can come together quickly. We intend on writing a full-length in the future and hope this productive song writing pattern continues.
BP: Work and progress continues. As BF mentioned, we have all played together in various projects over the years, so we are able to get things together relatively quickly once the raw material is there. The current pandemic we are facing leaves ample opportunity and inspiration for writing.
10. Everyone has their own opinion on what "black metal"stands for. so i was interested in yours. what does "black metal"mean to you?
BF: I’ve always thought of black metal to touch on the elements of existential darkness. That doesn’t necessarily materialize in terms of corpse paint or inverted crosses, although I understand their alluring nature. I look at this current situation where the world has quarantined itself due to a pandemic and can’t help but think there’s an element of self-sabotage in us as a species. Almost as if we are trying to take ourselves out. There’s evil in that, there’s evil in how we’ve gotten to this point. That sort of existential darkness is where I focus my attention when thinking of black metal. Prior to this pandemic, there were other instances, be they tied to the environment, avarice, etc. It’s a pervasive trend.
BP: Black Metal, to me, comes down to an aspect of freedom and acceptance. It inspires in me a willingness to look at the darkness and absurdity of the world and laugh at it. There is no need to adhere to dogma or follow orders, whether that be religiously or musically. Obviously there is great tradition within black metal music, which I respect and draw from, but to be liberated from needing to BE something specific is greatly satisfying.
DM: For me, black metal is a means of release. Myself and BF are very much on the same page as far as confronting that existential darkness. Black metal allows me to do that in a way that I don’t get to in other forms of music. It takes me out of myself in a way I’ve never experienced before.
11. Does the band have any plans to play to live when able to or do you prefer to work in the studio? BF: We’ve already had 1 live performance (late 2019) and had intended on doing a few performances in May, but those were derailed by the Covid-19 virus. We intend on rescheduling those performances and ideally doing more once that nightmare is over.
12. Besides Ritual Clearing do any of the members currently work with any other bands or solo projects? BF: As mentioned, BP and I play in Death Vanish. DM performs in the entity known as Reduction Plan. OM plays in a number of punk, hardcore, and black metal bands: Nightmare Solution, Scythewarden, and Condemned.
DM: My other project, Reduction Plan, is my creative brainchild - I write and record everything on my own. It’s nice to have a much more collaborative project to balance that out.
13. Thank you for taking the time to fill this interview out do you have any final comments for the readers?
BF: Thank you for the opportunity and for wanting to speak with us. Cheers!
BP: Cheers and thank you for the questions. Hail metal!
DM: Thanks, stay safe out there
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