Band: EVOKEN
Country of origin: USA
Style: dark metal
Questions by: Kai Mathias Stalhammar
Answers supplied by: Vince Verkay (drums)

It has been quite a while since Elegy brought forth the light that “Embrace The Emptiness” CD, however now it seems like you’re ready to strike again, with “Quietus”. Why didn’t you come up with a third offering of yours earlier?

- A lot of things actually. We only signed with Elegy Records for a one album deal and we were searching for a new label to suit our needs. It sounds arrogant but, we were missing a large chunk of our intended audience because promotion was so scarce. Elegy was a small, brand new label that really couldn't afford to shell out a large amount of cash for any large scale promotion. We finally landed a deal with Avantgarde after being in contact with Roberto for a long time before. So, by the time contracts were finalized and signed and then booking studio time it took a longer time then expected.  Plus, the album "Quietus" wasn’t actually released until a year and a half after we recorded it. But, good things come to those who wait I guess.

“Quietus” has been recorded and mixed not in one, or even two, but three studios, and that’s definitely a good subject to be discussed in our chat, don’t you think?

- Yea, even when we were doing all that I thought to myself, "We're gonna get a ton of questions on this". It really is a complicated story so I shall bore you. Here we go. We returned to the same studio that we recorded "Embrace The Emptiness" and our good friend Ron Thal worked his magic again on this release. Right in the middle of recording "Quietus" the studio decided to shut down. It sucked because we really felt comfortable there and a guy that's on MTV called DJ Skribble was in the same floor and right next door.  So, every time we would talk to him he would have 10 of the hottest women in the room with him. So, us 6 scrubs would walk out and try to work our magic. Hahahahaha.... boy did that go over like a lead balloon. Anyway, Ron decided to finish the recording in a studio that was close by to him. When we showed up, it was the studio we used to record "Shades Of Night Descending" only re-built with different owners.... ironic huh? Once we had everything recorded, Ron our engineer suggested we mix the album digitally on his computer at home which was his own personal company he has. So, that's were everything was finally wrapped up. Wow, that was alot.

Who came up with an idea of inviting Suzanne as a cello player? Did she gladly accept your invitation?

- Well, actually what happened was the cello player we used on "Embrace..." decided to quit playing so we were in search of a cello player.  Ron Thal said he knew of someone that could do it and was 1000 times better then our previous cello player. Well, she came down and banged out the cello parts in 2 hours. She had never heard any of our music and just played by the tablature we provided to her. She was really professional playing for several symphonies including the likes of Yo Yo Ma and Pavarotti. So, you can see she wasn't just your run of the mill fiddler. We payed her of our pocket and was worth every penny. We will try to get her to play on the next release along with some other instruments we would like to add examples are harps maybe a violin and duduk.

What kind of reviews / feedback “Quietus” has gathered so far? Were there negative responses?

- The reviews of "Quietus" have been fucking great!!!! Of course there have been a few bad ones by reviewers that seem only interested in enjoying one genre of music and if it's not that, they look at it negatively. Those reviewers I just laugh at. One said we didn't have enough variation. Well, we are fucking doom not a chicken shack polka band. So, hopefully the reviews will allow us to expand our fan base which it already seems to have done.

What kind of negative reviews chafe you most of all? Personally I just can’t stand the ones which lack any argumentation - isn’t it the same with you?

- I agree with you completely. Reviewers that are fucking so narrow minded that if it's not the style of music they like it's shite.  Well, those idiots shouldn't be doing what they are doing. If you are going to do a zine or review albums for that matter, you better have a wide range of interests in music. Those reviews have just read that we were boring and lacked any technical aspects.

Adipocere and Elegy Records. These are the labels you’ve been collaborating in past times, hence could you please mark out the principal drawbacks in their work which made you to part your ways?

- With Adipocere it was a combination of different things. The way they handled things, in my opinion, was unprofessional. I would call multiple times and receive no response. I would request flyers to help spread here in the States and never hear anything back. I will always thank them for giving us the chance to release our MCD and start the rise of Evoken. But, I just wish it could have been done better. Elegy Records was a great label. We left them only to do what was best for us. Elegy really didn’t have the funds to promote the album they was we would have liked but, we really have no complaints. They gave us the chance to release an album when 99% of the labels wouldn’t even look at us.

ESOTERIC, THERGOTHON, SKEPTICISM, UNHOLY, SHAPE OF DESPAIR, WINTER… Can we reckon EVOKEN to this horde? Furthermore, you’ve recently inked a deal withAvantgarde Music, just like UNHOLY. Aren’t feared of any sort of competition (since you guys offer pretty similar music)?

- Well, I think we should be in that horde of bands, yes. I think each band has it's own unique sound and approach which makes all these bands, including EVOKEN, very special and shall always be in the forefront of the doom genre as well as always looked at as standouts. As far as UNHOLY is concerned, the last I heard they were no longer with Avantgarde but I could be wrong. I don't think there's any competition, not on our end anyway. Although we both play the same genre both bands have their own unique sound. Both UNHOLY and Us have been around for quite some time. We respect UNHOLY in every way possible and hope they do the same. I love their albums and have always been a fan of their music. I wish them nothing but the best.

All the works by EVOKEN are soaked with suicidal and sometimes almost inhuman ambiences. Is it what it was supposed to be? What kind of sensations should we experience whilst giving a listen to f.ex. “Quietus”?

- Hmmm, indeed we always try to "soak" our arrangements, if you want to call it that, with ambiences that you speak of. We feel that every song should be just as somber and dark as the next. Plenty of bands I think fall into the trap of writing sick material but out of nowhere will throw in a severely homosexual rose picking riff that destroys any atmosphere up to that point. We try to avoid those pitfalls. We always avoid letting our own interpretations interfere with the listener. Everyone feels differently and that's exactly what we try to convey. I have a very different experience when listening to Evoken then another. Feelings of how I felt at the time the song was written and when it was recorded stand strong in my thoughts. So, let your mind free itself and view, in your mind, what you want it to be. SHIT!!!! if that doesn't sound like a hippy I can't imagine what does. Heh…

“Quietus” is obviously more doom / death metal, whilst everything’s on the contrary with “Shades Of Night Descending”, the work you’ve made your debut with. Why have you embarked on a path of this so-called “true doom metal” instead of elaborating the style you developed on that MCD?

- When we wrote the MCD we will were in a transition as to what we really wanted to do. The band consisted of Nick, Rob and myself with Rob writing most of that material. Believe it or not we were actually alot slower. When we played under the monicker of FUNEREUS, we played half the speed we do now. We recorded a few rehearsels, which are still floating around, and after listening back we felt like there was something missing.  We decided to scrap those songs and re-write everything hence is what you heard on "Shades Of Night Decending".  Once we went in to record it, John Paradiso and Bill (original bass player) were only in the band a few months so, no outside influences were incorporated into that material. We basically went in said "Here's the songs, learn them well and that's it". After that, all material was a full band effort and with the addition of Dario and the keyboards, it really opened up a new world for us.

By the way, what simply can’t be ignored, is the huge difference between “Shades…” and your latest effort - the one concerning the CD’s appearance and atmosphere it’s enshrouded in. While the very first work of yours proposed dark and somewhat surreal musical canvas, graphically executed in the same way, “Quietus” looks (and sounds) more futuristic. Any comments?

- Well, I know it's kind of cliche to say but, we matured. The first MCD was our first time doing anything so, we were still wet behind the ears. The layout we left to Adipocere to handle. We would correspond, once in a very blue moon, and kind of ok things. I wouldn't say we were going for a futuristic look on the layout of "Quietus". But, if that's what you see it to be, then that's great.  I would much rather have 3 people each think differently on what they see the album as, than 3 people all see the same thing keeping it rather bland.

What is your attitude to black metal, both music and movement? Have you heard any black metal bands so far?

- I love some old black metal and some new. Bands like BATHORY (old) EMPEROR, BLASPHEMY, DARK THRONE, ABAZAGORATH, KVIST, KROHM (our keyboardist side band) etc... really have or had a grasp on what black metal should be. It's all about the music and not the politics. Politics have no business being in this genre or any other genre of metal. Most black metal now just doesn't interest me. I have seen so many websites or band pics that crack me up to the point of gagging from laughing. I look at the poses they do with the corpse paint and I just have to laugh. Black metal has basically done to itself what so many other genres have done and that's suffocated itself. In the beginning, there were only quality acts that had a grasp on how the music should be played. They were special and it took talent to get signed. Now, it's a cesspool of nonsense. Any band can get signed to the point of labels actually out populating the bands. Now it's throw in the keyboards, the corpse paint, urinate on a bible and scream like a kid that had his lollipop stolen and you're in. Hopefully, that will all change.

Furthermore, I’d like to get a bit enlightened regarding your musical tastes…

- My tastes vary. I like to listen to DISEMBOWELMENT, MY DYING BRIDE, DARK THRONE, (old) EMPEROR, GRAVE, (old) ENTOMBED, (old) ABHORRENCE, (old) IMMOLATION, LUST MORD, DEAD CAN DANCE, LYCIA, BLACK TAPE FOR A BLUE GIRL, U2, IRON MAIDEN, techno, LED ZEPPELIN etc... I can go on forever. As I get older, which sux, I find myself to be more a fan of albums rather than bands.

Had you ever been vainly wishing you could turn back the clock and “relive” your life? If one has stated that both positive and (especially) negative experiences we have to endure throughout our lives, only make us spiritually stronger, would you agree… or disagree? I mean, even if you’re utterly displeased with the way your life is (and has been) alike, there’s nevertheless no sense in attempting to start it all over again, since the outcome might be even more painful and oppressive…

- I totally agree!! I mean, you could go back in your life and change or avoid the things that hurt you in the past but, you would be setting yourself up for something even more drastic and traumatic.  I don't think I would go back and relive my life again because there are certain things that I have now that had I changed, may not come along again. Granted, that in my past, there are many things I would like to had come out better but, I live with the notion that have no regrets. What I did at that time was the best decision at that time. If there is reincarnation I would like to come back as Carmen Electra's Bicycle seat or Tommy Lee's penis. Both I think would smile down the barrel of a gun.

Do you know anything regarding Russia? Any metal bands coming from the country of mine you’ve heard lately?

- Hmmm, I only know of some of your history that was taught to us in class. I think back to it now and realize how much bullshit was thrown at us. The way we were taught was Russia was the enemy, a communist regime that wanted to do nothing but destroy America. Now, I'm sure the Russian governent wanted to see that but Russian people were the same as us and could sit down with you have a conversation and be your best friend. I hear of the poverty there and try to figure out how a country that was the only other superpower go through such a change to the point of being a shell of it's former self. Unfortunately, I haven't heard too many bands from Russia. I only know of bands from the surrounding area like the former Czech Republic and such. I would really like it if you could enlighten me with some bands that I can check out.

Anything in conclusion?

- Well, I want to thank you for a great interview filled with interesting questions. Hopefully, we can arrange something in the future to come over there and crush the audiences there. Everyone check out and buy "Quietus". Thanks again and good luck with your zine.

EVOKEN contact -
Email: Vastchoirs@aol.com