Insanity Reigns Supreme
Wywiad przeprowadził Wouter Roemers
There are still unknown gems in the international extreme metal scene that fail to get the attention they deserve. Belgium's baroque doom metal stalwarts Insanity Reigns Supreme are one of these underground gems. Having being around for over a decade already and having a number of releases under their belt they still are fairly unheard of. Last year Insanity Reigns Supreme released its magnificent second opus "Prophecy Of Doom" to critical acclaim of the international metal community. Masterful Magazine caught up with vocalist Criz Jamers to discuss the band's impressive career. Hi folks! Thanks for taking the time to answer our interview. How are things with the band?
Things are pretty good actually. We're still getting excellent reviews for our latest CD "Prophecy of Doom" and the live front is definitely busier than ever.
"Prophecy Of Doom" came out quite some time ago. Which I personally found to be a refreshing doom metal record. How has the specialized press reacted to your album, is the feedback praiseworthy?
Most of the feedback so far has been very good. We find this quite astonishing really, since we know that what we have released upon mankind is not an easy genre mix to get into and the fact that we have presented the music in its bare form doesn't help to make it more accessible. But apparently by doing this we have struck a nerve and have created something that people (fans and critics alike) were missing. It seems that there are little real alternatives if you are into this blend of Death and Doom Metal.
In 1998 "And Darkness Drowned the Land Divine" came out, which became somewhat of a genre classic despite Insanity Reigns Supreme's obvious underground status. With "Prophecy..." the band has chosen to take the difficult road, going for a stripped down, basic approach to the genre. Now the band can truly be called baroque doom metal. Is that paying off?
It is paying off as far as our own satisfaction with the album is concerned. For some listeners however it proved to be difficult to accept. It is definitely not an easy album to digest. As you mentioned, we have kept the music on this record to its essentials, hence there is not a single shimmer of hope to be heard on the entire record. This makes listening to the CD a real challenge, as it drains you of all your energy. But then again we were never going to make an "easy listening" record. The fact that we combine the skull crushing brutalism of Death Metal with the funeral grimness of Doom Metal also puts the casual listener in a difficult spot. By doing this we have carved out an even smaller niche, with little chance of financial pay off. Since this isn't our intention anyway, we are fine with that. The few dedicated people that do get into what we have created, do so in a major way. They become fanatical members of the Cult of Doom from the first listen.
For this album you once again returned to the Beaufort Studios in Holland. How was it recording the album? In comparison to the debut this album is matured more, production wise. Can you tell us what makes this album stronger than your first?
By calling it more mature, you hit the nail on the head. Obviously we have matured as musicians, making sure we were better prepared for the task. From every studio visit you learn and know what to improve for the next one. This was in fact our third time in Beaufort Studio (in 1995 we recorded our second demo there as well) and apart from the fact that we feel at home there, the owner of Beaufort Studio (Han Swagerman) has understood how to capture the "Insanity" sound. This varies from the knowledge of which equipment to use for immortalizing our sound, to making sure that the vocals are recorded at night with only candlelight to light up the studio. As a listener you can almost taste the atmosphere this creates.
With this recording we also consciously opted to do it "old style" meaning that we didn't use digital equipment, but recorded on old fashioned tape. Obviously this means that you cannot correct mistakes with the computer, but it is exactly this "live" atmosphere plus the warm sound that recording on tape gives you that makes the sound stand out.
The strongest point however is that we have started this band in 1989, so after more than 15 years we know how our "litanies of faith" have to sound when we record an album.
Probably the biggest difference with the debut is the absence of the female operatic vocals. What brought on this stylistic change, was it just natural progression or more of a conscious artistic decision?
As with our first demo in 1991 (where we used the same female singer) we only ever used it in the studio. When we played live, we didn't opt to integrate it into our sound. Hence we never considered it as being part of our music. We only used it to "enhance" certain songs on the album / demo. For "Prophecy of Doom" we consciously decided to not use anything to enhance the sound, be it female vocals or the odd keyboard here and there. We stripped all the "positive" feelings or energy that these bring to an album and went for a dark and barren sound with not a single shred of light at the end of the tunnel. We had a very concrete vision of what we wanted to represent and these items did not fit that concept, hence they were discarded. The songs are strong enough to hold up on their own right and didn't need any backup. Now that we have been able to complete this mission, we can move on to the next album and decide how to represent the "Cult of Insanity" on that one.
You designed the album yourself - with Doomcult Designs. Obviously, the band is heavily draped in esoteric/occult symbolism. Can you explain what all the imagery stands for or what it represents?
The representation of the "Insane Cult of Doom" does not end with the music. To start with, our pentagram is the symbolic representation of the band. Each member being represented by, specific planetary seals, associated sigils, zodiac signs and specific symbols that have a personal connection. This means that when we change line-up, our symbol changes (compare the pentagram on the first CD to this one).
Apart from the symbols than are obvious at first sight on the CD booklet, we also integrated a lot of other symbolism throughout. The best example being the magickal number 7. To name but a few: there are 7 songs on the CD (not including in and outros), the outro text consist of 7 sentences, which are printed on each right hand side of the text book, so by flipping through the booklet you complete the text, the outro starts after 77 seconds, we spend 7 nights recording and mixing the album in July (month number 7). Even the color grade of the red used in the booklet is a multiple of 7.
We realize that most people will not even notice the amount of detail that has gone into the visual representation of this album, but we will always make every effort to ensure that the result we deliver has received our complete attention. By working like this, we can deliver a creation that we are extremely proud of. For us, this creates an additional layer and gives it a deeper dimension which you feel when listening to the music.
For some time Burt Beyens (Agathocles) has been part of Insanity Reigns Supreme. The new album even came out through his label Uxicon Records. Are they still distributing the album or did the cooperation cease entirely when he left?
When we decided to end our collaboration on the musical front, we also ended our collaboration with Uxicon Records. We felt that a clean break was the best for both parties and hence this release is fully self-financed by the band. Unfortunately this decision came after the CD was printed, and by having the logo of Uxicon on the CD, our chances of having somebody else release it were minimal. This is of course a great shame, since now we are very limited in spreading the word of Insanity Reigns Supreme after having put so much effort into this release. We are determined however that this will not stop us expanding our Legion of Doom.
Pantheist, Thee Plague Of Gentlemen and Until Death Overtakes Me are just a few Belgian doom acts that have gained popularity all over the globe. Somehow IRS has always remained a humble unknown for many. Is there a specific reason behind that, you think?
First of all our mix of Doom and Death metal is not easy to swallow. For fans of the one we are too brutal, for the other we are too slow. Hence we only appeal to a smaller selection of each of these genres fanbases.
The biggest difference however will be the fact that we have no label (no matter how small and independent) to back us up and making sure that our message gets out there. We have remained a hidden treasure only revealed to a select few. Having said that, it must be said that we have followers all over the globe, from Mexico to Siberia. We might be a lot slower in getting there, but we are reaching new members of the Cult nonetheless. It has been a long and difficult road, but we definitely subscribe to "what doesn't kill us, makes us stronger". We have been at it for a very long time, and I don't see it stopping any time soon.
In the end, it depends on which goals you set yourself. None of us expect any financial reward of the band, and thus being on a big label or doing long tours are not on our agenda. Of course, the minimum has to be that our message, in the form of our CD, has to get out there, and we would definitely need some support there.
There are still a lot of misconceptions around doom metal. It is often disposed as being too repetitive and boring for the average listener. Nevertheless, the genre has an incredible loyal following with dedicated fans and supporters. Is this the curse of doom metal, being passed off as repetitive by people who don't understand the genre to begin with?
Unfortunately I think it is. People who are narrow-minded don't take the time to actually listen to this kind of music, because the cliché is that it is slow and boring. If one takes the time to have a thorough listen, they would notice that there are so many different streams within Doom Metal that there is bound to be a style you like.
There are bands out there in Doom Metal that I find boring as well. But I also find that in Black Metal, Death Metal or Grind, so I don't think it is exclusively found within Doom. Everybody has to carve out their own musical taste though and if they chose not to listen to Doom because of clichés, then it is their loss.
After being lost for more than half a decade, the video clip for ‘La Tristesse Eternelle' surfaced again in 2003. It's a very stylish no-budget clip which is still firmly rooted in the underground at the same. The bloodletting - and eerie spirit-scenes add to the macabre underground atmosphere, while the rest is all shot very art-like. You must be very happy to see the final result at last, even when it's only available on the internet.
We are extremely happy to have been able to get our hands on the end result at last. We started shooting this video in 1996, originally intended for the ‘Trauma Paradise' track of our second demo. The shooting took so long however that when we recorded our first album "...and Darkness Drowned the Land Divine" in 1997, we decided to use the material for the song ‘La Tristesse Eternelle' of that album. If you pay attention, you will notice that in the scene with Christophe in the church, the musical papers featured on the organ, are those of ‘Trauma Paradise'.
It was quite an adventure filming this, since it was all shot in an old monastery, and we are still surprised that we got away with it. The monkhood that resided there has disbanded and it is an abandoned building nowadays.
To top it all off, the guy who filmed it disappeared and we had no means of contacting him. By chance, years later we met him again and he had actually finished the product. It was very rewarding getting our hands on it after having invested so much time and effort in it. By that point we wanted nothing more than to share this with others and hence we decided to put it up for free downloading on the internet. For me, it is an example that shows that as long as you are committed enough you can get a lot done.
Although suffering from years of virtual absence (outdated website) you've raised an official website again. After all, the internet is one of most important mediums these days, promotion wise. Are there any special plans for the website, it's ultimately the gathering point for Insanity Reigns Supreme fans worldwide?
This should indeed be exactly that. As any band out there will know, the difficult part will be having it updated. We have tons more material to be put on there, but since we don't have a committed webmaster, it is a slow process. We are lucky enough to have Roel as part of the Cult, who maintains the site, next to his studies, job and playing in the band. So in the end, if you want to know the latest about Insanity Reigns Supreme this is the place to be. You can find pictures from back to 1990, wall papers, music downloads, background and lots more. We even have music on there from our 1995 demo "Our Path is Dark and Lonely...". If you are interested in the band or want to find out more, it is the essential address.
Will Insanity Reigns Supreme partake in any notable tours in the future? It seems gigs are rather scarce on the doom metal front. There have been the Belgian Doom Night and Doomed Legions Fest on which you appeared, how was that for the band?
For us these were great, since you get the opportunity to play in front of likeminded individuals that have a deep appreciation of what you are doing. It also shows that it is possible to organize a Doom concert and attract enough people to it, if you are committed enough and willing to put the effort in. We are notorious for only playing a handful of gigs a year, so for us it is even more important to have the right people in the audience who we can expose to our music. For this year however we can't complain about activity on the live front.
In October 2005 you will do a short Benelux tour with UK doom metal combo The Prophecy. Who's putting this tour together?
It is a "Musketeer of Death" event. Again somebody who shows that you can realize things if you believe in them. Emillio has been supporting the band since he first came in contact with us, and as long as we have people like that in the scene, I am convinced that it will continue to grow and expand. The same can be said for The Prophecy. They have toured with My Dying Bride and have released a magnificent album. Some bands would let that get to their heads and would expect success to fall in their lap. Yet these guys are not too fine to get across the channel and play the local clubs in order to promote themselves.
With "Prophecy Of Doom" being out for quite some time now and your debut being a classic, how are things coming together for the all-important third offering? It's probably too early to ask, but how do you see things progressing with that album?
We are already working on new songs for the next album. I say already, because since the release we have changed label (from small independent to none at all) and had to recruit and work in a new bass player. This obviously cost a lot of time, so making new songs was not the order of the day. Now that this is partly behind us however we can concentrate on the future. We would like to release something in 2006, but realistically it will probably be even a year later. This sounds like a long time, but this will mean we would cut the time, in between albums, in half compared to the past :)
For a major part of its career Insanity Reigns Supreme has always remained independent, not bound to any label. Obviously that restricts the band to a number of limitations, but this sovereignty also has a good deal of advantages. Is there any potential progress on the perennial quest to find a label willing to back you up?
You are correct that apart from the obvious disadvantages this has, there are a lot of advantages as well. People don't realize this, but by working like this we have full autonomy. This means that we don't have to argue with a label that we will not be using Pro Tools to record or use a female vocalist because it is trendy at the moment and it would add "flair" to the record. Just imagine the reaction of those people if we would go into the symbolic "seven" story: "We want that particular color of red, since it's color saturation is a multiple of seven". They would probably truly call us insane. However, we realize that having no label is not a situation we want to be in. We WANT our message to get out there, and no matter how difficult our music might be to digest, at least you should get the chance to hear it and decide for yourself. We are convinced that there must be a label out there that appreciates the effort and detail we invest in a release, and that would have no problem with giving us the final say when it comes to the creative side of things, including the artwork and packaging. So if you think you know a label like that, contact them, and tell them they are missing out on a great band!
Thanks for talking to us. The closing statement is yours...
Thanx for the chance to spread our litanies of faith. It is through this support that we live. For people wanting to find out more, go to www.insanecultofdoom.com . Join the Insane Cult of Doom!
Band information:
Site: www.insanecultofdoom.com
Info/booking: slave@insanecultofdoom.com
