Terminus Interview - Cromlech

A few months ago, out of the blue, Terminus received a bold and brazen email to the effect that we would interview Cromlech. What had we done to deserve this? Cromlech is the brother-band of Into Oblivion, whose Winds of Serpentine Ascension placed #1 on the Terminus Aggregate Top 10 for 2020. The Norns ordained our paths would cross, and so they did.

Cromlech plays Epic Doom, forged from the same mythril as Solstice and Candlemass, but steeped in the dragon's blood of black and death. In this freewheeling juggernaut of an interview, The Black Metal Guy speaks with every member of Cromlech (except Kevin) about writing and recording their forthcoming record, Ascent of Kings (Hessian Firm), oppressing the peasantry of ironic retro-metal, and sacrificing to the shade of Robert E. Howard. Plus a whole bunch of other stuff. What emerges, over the course of the conversation, is a band whose swaggering pride is backed by serious artistry, loyal comradery, relentless shit-giving, and remorseless shitposting.

This is as close as it gets to being in the practice room with Cromlech. Gird thy loins.

 

00:00 - Cromlech - Origin and destiny

10:41 - "Every week for seven years" - Writing and recording Ascent of Kings

16:30 - Crossbridge of the helix - Brandon, Jake, et. al. on the Cromlech rhythm section

21:27 - "Riff Tyrants" - Baron and Roman on collaborative guitar work

28:30 - The Ritual Airing of Grievances / a digression on Emperor / a further digression on the noble art of shitposting

36:42 - Spotlight on Kevin - Kevin as frontman and lyricist / Roman on collaborative vocals

40:36 - Cimmerian Codex - Conan The Barbarian, Celtic Frost, and some surprising links to classic 80s heavy metal

45:35 - Extreme heavy metal Pt. I - Vibrato and "exploded" vocal chords

47:58 - Interlude - “Iron Fist / Iron Will,” fr. the Iron Guard EP (Independent, 2017 / CD by Forgotten Wisdom Productions, 2018)

58:18 - Extreme heavy metal Pt. II - Wielding the mighty chug / the legacy of Solstice / Baron's formative influences / metal nerd Easter eggs

1:06:15 - Extreme heavy metal Pt. III - cross-pollination between Cromlech and Into Oblivion

1:15:42 - Brothers in arms - Cromlech's remarkably stable lineup / "forge your own flesh" / pushing musical boundaries

1:32:53 - More on sound quality and production for Ascent of Kings

1:37:38 - The Cromlech / Hessian Firm alliance - Getting signed and working with Nick

1:43:17 - "Gatekeeping is necessary, essential, and mandatory"

1:54:45 - Outro - Wagner - end Act I, Scene 3 of Siegfried (Bayreuth Records, 1876), in which Siegfried reforges his father’s sword, Nothung, then cleaves the anvil asunder. Fr. Decca's complete Ring Cycle (Wiener Philharmoniker, Georg Solti conducting).

 

Cromlech recommends:

Oath of Cruelty - Summary Execution at Dawn: "very aggressive, riff-oriented black thrash"

Korrosive: "Our fuckin brothers. Thrash, not for wimps and posers." New album Kaustic Hordes coming soon.

Hessian Firm bands, esp. Mefitis: "Kevin, listen to The Misfits!"

 

Terminus links:

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thetrueterminus@gmail.com