Dystopia & Eckhart Tolle

Some years ago I was really into metal. I wrote a fanzine about it, put on bands I liked and travelled around the country screaming into a microphone for two bands. Metal was pretty much all I ever thought about. If someone didn't like metal then they were a dickhead. Other music was generally shit to me - monotonous bullshit played by passionless twats who just wanted to make money. In my mind, metal was a pure form – played from the heart without concern for profit and fame.

Besides this skewered view, my general outlook was bleak – everything was slowly getting worse. Humanity was destined to destroy itself and the planet would have been better off if we’d never existed. The overall soundtrack to my life was screamed vocals, down-tuned guitars, bowl-loosening bass and drumming played either as fast as humanly possible or as slow as humanly possible. The lyrics I wrote and shouted into microphones in the grindcore and sludge bands I fronted were embittered and misanthropic. I thought I‘d developed all these pessimistic feelings throughout my life and venting them onstage was a catharsis.

Using my unwavering passion for metal, I created Load of Noise fanzine so that I could use it to further a fledgling career in music journalism. A perk of this was receiving free music and gig tickets. A friend had introduced me to Dystopia a few years earlier and their track ‘Stress Builds Character’, particularly struck a chord with me…the first line of the song is: ‘Life is swell, now I want to die’. Now that could easily be seen as some teen angst type of lyric but if you hear it, you know he’s not fucking around. My actual life was more or less fine but I felt emotionally numb and my mind had become a very dark place. Seeing only the negative in everything can gradually imprison a person in their own psyche.Then something really important happened. I was sent a copy of Dystopia’s new album to review in the zine. I placed it in the CD player and the first track ‘Now and Forever’ began. The band had decided to use a sample throughout the first three minutes of the song. 

The sample was taken from the audiobook of Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now. I had never heard of the man before, but the words he was speaking immediately grabbed my attention: ‘So anyone who is identified with their mind and therefore disconnected from their true power, their deeper self rooted in being, will have fear as their constant companion…Are you always trying to get somewhere other than were you are? Is most of your doing a means to an end? Is fulfilment always just around the corner or confined to short lived pleasures?...Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry – all forms of fear, are caused by too much future and not enough present – guilt, regret, resentment, sadness, bitterness and forms of non-forgiveness are caused by too much past and not enough present.’ Needless to say, I was quite familiar with all of those feelings.

Something about Tolle’s voice and the fact that I’d never heard anyone talk about feelings being directly related to time perception in such a way really got through to me. Various aspects also appealed to the misanthrope in me: ‘You may win ten-million dollars, but that kind of change is only skin-deep, you would simply continue to act out the same conditioned patterns in more luxurious surroundings. Humans have learned to split the atom – instead of killing ten or twenty people with a wooden club, one person can now kill a million just by pushing a button – is that real change?’

I searched the sentences online and downloaded the audiobook of The Power of Now. Soon after doing this, my life changed. All the pessimism and misanthropy that’d been sapping my energy just fell away – a near-tangible psychological weight just dissipated. Incredible. I understood how my mind had been working against me for all the years before. I was excited, rejuvenated. The by-product of this was unfortunate in terms of my previous goals. I no longer felt such a strong identification with metal. I still loved the music but I no longer defined myself by it. Whereas before I saw being onstage as a catharsis – I now felt as though getting onstage and screaming misanthropic lyrics was actually making my feel worse by reliving the state of mind of the lyrics.

Other areas of my life improved dramatically and I found myself listening to many other music genres and getting a lot out of them. Just to clarify, I have not become some spiritualist metal-hater – I don’t accept everything in The Power of Now as fact – it was just a massive help at a time when I needed a different perspective.

Wall of Sleep Album Trilogy Part 3 of 3

Guest writer: Ben Shaw (he Shaw loves riffs)

Sometimes when a band undergoes an explosion of creativity over the course of a number of years, usually under five, the last album they produce in that period is remarkable. Much like Vol.4 by Black Sabbath was a creative apex for the Brum doom-lords, as is ..And Hell Followed with Him by Wall of Sleep.

It would appear on this album that WOS have become road-hardened and focused into a riff/groove/doom machine. The opener ‘Buried 1000 Times’ feels so familiar and true that on the first listen there’s almost a sense of symbiosis between what you want and what you hear. It’s a stunning way to open the album and has a rhythmic gallop that brings to mind warhorses and their riders plunging into forlorn charges.

There is a tangibly more positive vibe on this album - gone are the slow-churning grim festivals of ‘Slow But Not Dead’ in place of expansive and epic sounds. If the history of WOS was a Warhammer 40k battle report (stay with me!) then this album is surely the band amassing their victory points and singing hails of glorious triumph to their chosen Gods . Talking of which, there is a definite Christian vein running through this album, which in many ways adds to the mysticism. I’m not sure whether Biblical tales have just been used as a source of lyrical inspiration or are genuinely sincere, but either way it enhances the sound and never preaches, which is nice.

‘Nails for Crucifixion’ is a fine example of this. Much like Iron Maiden’s ‘Hallowed Be Thy Name’, the story of Jesus is perfectly soundtracked with epic riffs that imbue the tale with a heroic majesty, which I’m sure J.C. would appreciate.

‘November’ is a groove-laden ballad-esque chug machine. It has a sequence of harmonies that are orchestral and heavy, a combination which your neck responds to instantaneously. You find yourself rocking out and thinking, ‘surely these mega-riffs must run out eventually, I mean I’ve been through three albums so far and they just keep coming!’ Your doubting mind is set at ease with the opening refrains of the outro combo of ‘Signs’ and ‘Sabbat Mater’, the latter being a slowed down doom monster that is somehow uplifting, which is confusing to say the least. ‘Signs’ was the first track I heard off this album, and to be honest, I listened to it far too much. I just couldn’t believe the intro riff; had WOS penetrated my mind and written a riff to my exact specifications?! The only conclusion I could reach was ‘Yes’. Nowadays the song doesn’t have the impact it used to, as I mentioned earlier - I killed it, but I implore you, fine reader, to give it a listen to hear the template of Riff Ascendancy.

All in all I think this is the best WOS album. It is consistently powerful and has moments of genuine genius. However, much like the song ‘Signs’, I’ve listened to it that much that it’s lost all meaning. Just like the desensitisation of watching too much internet filth. However, when I experience these alarming feelings I dig out Sun Faced Apostles or Slow But not Dead and put ‘I Sleep’ on or ‘The River’, because not only have WOS amassed an imposing back catalogue of mega-riffs, they have also developed throughout their albums which lends a variety to their material seldom seen nowadays.

As a tribute I don’t feel that these three pieces of writing do justice to the way I felt when I first heard the riffs of ‘Sun Faced Apostles’ (the song).I’ll give describing it a crack, as it’s essentially the point of me writing this and writing a conclusion that basically states my failure isn’t at all satisfying!

I’ll set the scene: I’d been given the CD by Lord of Load of Noise Dr Pete Worth, and was instantly attracted to the name. A Black Sabbath reference I thought, these guys surely cannot be ultra-mega shit-balls. When the opening refrains of ‘Sun Faced Apostles’ floated out of the speakers like a melting glacier fuelled by the purest sunlight, my eyes widened, my heart rate increased and I sat completely transfixed. Carried on the waves of riffs I was completely still, focused totally on the music I was hearing. As the outside world melted away a deep sense of joy began to fill my stomach, rising to my chest, a broad smile filing my face. I wanted to be able to play the riffs, but it was too soon. I listened to the track again, this time noticing the underlying harmonies of the opening riffs, and then the riff that accompanies the solo. The riff that accompanies the solo is beautiful. I was reeling, I had to tell people what had just happened, more pressingly I had to write a review of album, but as DR Worth well knows, this went on the back burner (Sorry!).

I don’t feel like I’ve said enough. I feel I’ve said too much. Have I set the tone right? Have I been too whimsical? So many questions, to which there is one answer in life; RIFFS! Wall of Sleep have the answer.

(Many thanks to Ben for his great work on this series)

Envision Comics Interview

If there’s anyone still alive who read the paper version of LON – hopefully you’ll recall the adventures of one Metal Bastard, the calamity-causing cannibalistic comic hero of chaos, who featured in various issues. Comic creator, Steven McCumaskey, created said Bastard and now runs his own comic imprint, Envision Comics, which is rather badass…

When did you first have the idea to start Envision?

Envision Comics began to take shape around 2005 – I’d previously sent art submissions to established comic book publishers in the hope of starting a career in the industry, but these proved to be unsuccessful.  I’d always been creating my own comics from a young age and in truth, the creator-owned arena was where my heart lay.  It occurred to me that instead of drawing from scripts that weren’t mine or writing for other artists, I could put all my efforts into creating and building something that was my own, as I was writing and drawing everything myself anyway.  Once the seed had been planted, I immediately stopped sending submissions to the big publishers and took the initial steps to building Envision.

How did you go about setting the label up?

Essentially, the moment I decided to self publish was the moment the label was born.  However, it was a few years before I released anything. This was a conscious decision - to ensure longevity I felt it crucial to build a body of work to release rather than publish single titles every few years. This required a great deal of patience, but having a collection of titles available from the start meant that I’d not put myself under pressure to keep releasing a steady stream of comics on a regular basis.  Also, establishing the label in this way allowed me to demonstrate variety from the start.  Envision doesn’t specialise in a specific genre, nor do I write or draw in one specific style.  The current titles available are all different from one another and demonstrate my versatility. I also run a sister label to Envision, EVC Publishing, under which I’ve self-published a children’s book, A Dog Called Max.

(Then: Metal Bastard)

What are your intentions with Envision?

Essentially, Envision is the result of compromise.  As a kid my dream job was to be a professional comic book artist, but just because that didn’t happen it doesn’t mean the dreaming has to stop.  That may sound melodramatic, but I think too many people let go of childhood dreams when they become adults.  Sure, we’ve all got to grow up and get our heads in the ‘real world’, but the whole point of Envision relates to my belief that growing up doesn’t mean you have to stop doing the things you love. As The Undertones questioned: are teenage dreams so hard to beat? Yes! I’ve never grown out of creating my own comics and I don’t believe I ever will.  In terms of success, I never give it much thought as to how far I want Envision to go.  I absolutely love the process of creating a comic book and as long as I want to keep drawing and writing I’ll keep it going.  It’s very tough to find the time due to my demanding day job (not to mention just having a life!), but it’s worth every bit of effort. 

(Now: a much more refined individual)

Can you describe the comics you've released so far?

Envision currently has three titles available – Styx, Metal Bastard Adventures and Rain.  Styx is a short horror nasty written by you and was the first release from EVC.  It has since been reprinted with an updated cover and you can read it free online at MyeBook.com.  Metal Bastard Adventures was born from my years at college and university, where I was fully immersed in the local rock and metal scene.  The character is essentially my alter-ego (our resemblance is no accident!) and I have fond memories of writing the comic and discussing ideas in the pub with my friends.  Metal Bastard consistently proves to be the most popular release and I understand why, as it’s a quick, fun read and everyone likes a good laugh!  I’m glad I created Metal Bastard when I did, as it is very much a product of my youth.  I have toyed with writing more strips in recent years, but in truth I just wouldn’t be able write it as well as I did then.  I was younger and cockier and it would feel very forced to write Metal Bastard now.  I guess I’ve grown up since then!

(Get it)

Your debut graphic novel, Rain, is a great achievement - can you describe the process you went through from conception to completion and any future ideas?

Rain is possibly my single greatest achievement and easily the one thing I’m most proud of.  The timeframe from conception to completion was a period of seven years and it was a mammoth task to complete.  Early sketches from as far back as 2002 styled it as a cyberpunk sci-fi thriller and at one point Rain was almost a western!  Rain demonstrates perfectly why running Envision is such a challenge – I write, draw and edit everything myself and it takes a tremendous amount of time to get from initial idea to finished article.  It’s the biggest project I’ve ever completed and though at times I felt I’d never get it finished, I knew it’d one day see the light of day simply because I believed in it so much.

The creative process was very demanding and I very much learnt my trade as I produced it.  Redrafts of the script were written as the book was being drawn and as a result there are two editions in existence.  The first edition is no longer in print but a small number of copies were sold before I wrote an additional chapter and republished the book in its new, final edition.  I was always slightly unsatisfied with the origin of the Rain character and this extra chapter, for me, adds that extra layer of depth that was missing from the original draft. 

Rain is a very dark, very emotional action thriller that tells the story of Philip Rain, an ordinary young man who’s sucked into the world of organized crime after having his life shattered by a devastating family tragedy. After years in the coils of the underworld, he falls in love with a woman who inspires him to change his ways, but leaving behind the world of crime has severe consequences.  It’s both a tragic love story and sleek action thriller and essentially the end product of almost every idea I’ve ever, with lots of my favourite movies, comics and music playing a part in its creation.

It’s a very personal book and was at times a challenge to write due to the nature of its conception, but the end result is something I’m deeply proud of.  Rain is the driving force behind Envision and is almost the single reason for setting up the label.  The ultimate goal was to create a comic book that I wanted to read and it’s precisely for this reason that I can honestly say Rain is one of my favourite comics.  I love dark stuff such as The Crow and Frank Miller’s work on Batman, but I also wanted to write a story with real heart.  Whilst the plot in itself may not break any new ground, I’m happy that the execution is unique.  If nothing else, Rain is a brutally honest tale that came from a very personal place.  And of course, it features some kick ass action, too!  It’s very cinematic and character-driven and I worked hard to create a cast of characters who were very much my own.  Likewise, setting the story in a fictional environment was a move to help me establish a sense of complete ownership and control of this world I wanted to create (it also meant I didn’t need to worry about geographical accuracy when drawing locations). 

There are lots of visual metaphors throughout the book (the perpetual rain itself being the most obvious) and whilst it’s heavily influenced by action cinema, the emphasis on story and character first and action second was a conscious decision.  I’m certainly an action movie junkie, yet my intention with Rain was to essentially create the comic book version of the anti-action movie.  Whereas so many action films compromise story and plot by loosely stringing a series of impressive, expensive action scenes together, I very much wanted Rain to be driven by character and plot first.  As a result much of the book is dialogue heavy, but the pay-off is a climactic shootout that spans over 25 pages.  It was important to structure the book in this way and the nature of the storytelling means that it only works as a single edition.  It’s very much a graphic novel and not a comic book, as the story would lose most of its impact if it were published as a single issue.  In light of this, my intention was to make the shootout a reward for the reader – you’ve read lots of dialogue; now see some bullets fly!

Rain is the first part of a planned trilogy of graphic novels, but there’s always the chance the other books will never see the light of day.  It was such a huge task to complete book one that I’ve acknowledged that producing the sequels may be too demanding.  For this reason I tried to write book one so that it’s self-contained, but it also sets up the possibility of a sequel.  The script for the second book is almost written and I hope to start drawing it next year.  Having said that, my desire to write and draw has not diminished and the new challenge of completing the entire series is even more inviting than the challenge of simply creating the first book. 

Book two is much grander in scale and very much inspired by Heat, The Dark Knight and the utterly awesome The Wire. Titled Rain: The Burning Season, it’s more of an ensemble piece that exposes the deeper workings of the book’s setting as the authorities begin to investigate the events that ended book one.  Following that will be book three, Rain: Life of Agony.  I knew exactly how the series would end from the very early stages of book one, and having that part of the story already mapped out helps to keep me motivated and have the final goal in mind. 

Big thanks to Ste and I hope he tackles books two & three as Rain is an awesome and mammoth achievement. 

For art previews visit www.facebook.com/envision.comics

Check out samples of all releases at www.myebook.com

You can buy Envision Comics titles at www.lulu.com/spotlight/stevenmccumaskey

A Dog Called Max, released through EVC Publishing, is also available from the above link.  Print copies and ebook editions are available from lulu.com.  All profits from the ebook editions of Rain and Metal Bastard Adventures are donated to the Help for Heroes charity, supporting our wounded in the armed services.

Wall of Sleep Album Trilogy Part 2 of 3

 Guest Writer: Ben Shaw (enjoyer of wizards and ultra-riffage)

The first time I actually heard Wall of Sleep was reviewing Sun Faced Apostles for the archaic paper version of Load of Noise. I instantly fell in love with the jovial tone of the bouncing riffs and the strange melodies of Gabor Holdampf’s vocals. The vocals are a controversial subject with people I have talked to about Wall of Sleep, and the band actually parted ways with Holdampf in 2009. I always loved the dynamics that Holdampf added to the band’s sound - his delivery made me picture a warlock bellowing incantations from a storm swept mountain peak.

Sun Faced Apostles really peaks with the title track, which is a classic doom rock anthem that reminds me of Paradise Lost at their epic best.  The interweaving duel guitar harmonies of the chorus give way to an outro solo to end the world with. There’s a particularly good clip of this on YouTube, with the crowd head banging as one - completely enraptured by the mega-riffs pouring off the stage.

The band get their doom chops out on this album with the track ‘Ship of Stake’, which rumbles and swells like a disturbed ocean. Like a polar bear swinging its head in a zoo confinement, the song bristles with untapped power and flows with riff after riff of pure doom. The supremacy is then unleashed with the magically titled ‘Time of the Goblins’.  I cannot state more categorically that this is the best song title of all time, and the music itself is amazing too. The best things that Wall of Sleep do are all evident here: the romping tempo, the sudden evolution into Thin Lizzy guitar-porn, the endless grooves and the vocals jumping out at you at unexpected angles and pitches. They even reference ‘For Whom The Bell Tolls’ in the solo, which I like to think of as taking it back for the Sabbath fans.

I often wonder how big this band would be if they were American or English. The reason for this wondering is that everyone I’ve forced to listen to Wall of Sleep really likes them, but then somehow discredits them upon learning their origins. The number of bands playing this sort of classic metal inspired doomy rock is great and Wall of Sleep are as good as any of them, or at least were.

Sun Faced Apostles reaches another peak with the doom romance of ‘The River’, flowing like its namesake. The closing two tracks ‘From The Bottom of These Days’ and ‘Mother Sand and Father Stone’ couldn’t be more different; the former being a groovy rock romp and the latter being a doom drone with low end orchestration that seems to carry tangible weight.

The main reason I love Wall of Sleep is because they deliver the riffs. Relentlessly. The ever present guitar work of Sandor Fuleki has to be the most underrated body of work in rock and metal history. He solos with a feel and tone reminiscent of Tony Iommi and shits riffs with the consistency of Kirk Windstien. His writing has developed and evolved over the course of the albums I’ve chosen to cover and I believe it actually reaches new heights with the follow up to Sun Faced Apostles; the masterpiece of slow-burning rock that is ‘...And Hell Followed With Him’. But that’s for next time, so in the interim - search 'Wall of Sleep' on YouTube and bask in the riffs...

Wall of Sleep Album Trilogy Part 1 of 3

Guest Writer: Ben Shaw

I have been to the top of vast mountain ranges. I have been to space. I have travelled across expanses of desert and galloped through medieval Hungary atop of a great mammoth.  I have even seen a wizard control the winds and seas. These wild claims will leave you with a conclusion to draw about my honesty and possibly my mental health. However, when you finish reading this article and seek out the cause of my delusions, then you too will sail to the riff-filled land where images of fantasy and glorious adventure are conjured. I bring you Hungarian Doomanoids, Wall of Sleep.

Wall of Sleep formed in Hungary in 2002 (or 2001 depending on your online source) and released their first EP in 2003; the raw and promising Overlook The All. The recording borrowed heavily from the gods of groovy doom heavy-metal and included a cover of Black Sabbath’s ‘The Wizard’. Between 2004 and 2007, Wall of Sleep released Slow, But Not Dead, Sun Faced Apostles and then ...And Hell Followed With Him – capturing a trilogy of dream inspiring rock music on disc. This three-part article, this act of supplication to the divine forces of the riff, will focus on these three albums. 

Despite its title, Slow, But not Dead (2004) isn’t even that slow! It kicks off with the bouncing riffage of ‘Far Away From Sunrise’ which almost feels like a driving song - full of thrust and purpose. Wall of Sleep excel in being able to straddle genres and styles within a single song, let alone an entire album. This is what I love most about them, as I mentioned earlier, I’ve been to a myriad of imagined landscapes thanks to their varying feel and mood.  True to form, the album takes an immediate change in direction on second track ‘Sysyphus’ Downhill Ride’ which lopes and swings like the arms of a drunken ape. This is the first time we hear hints at the majestic harmonies so prevalent in Wall of Sleep’s sound.

Third track ‘That’s Why’ is almost Soundgarden-esque in its chaotic rhythms.  It’s with the track ‘Soil’ that Wall of Sleep hit their straps and begin to spread their wings. The vocal harmonies of the intro pave the way to a huge poppy chorus that is so addictive, after one listen you’re picking through carpet fluff for signs of more.  ‘The Very Same’ bounces out of the speakers like Volume 4 era Sabbath,  which is followed by a brief interlude of country refrains from delay addled guitars. ‘Ornaments of Heaven” is a classic doom master piece.  'Inside Garden' is a rocky groover with hints of Skynyrd, testament to the band’s ability to produce heavily influenced music that still sounds unique.  I could write an entire piece about album closer ‘I Sleep’ and the relationship I’ve had with the song since I first saw the YouTube video of it being performed live. 

The opening riff conjures images of beached sea monstrosities being clubbed to death by colossal iron titans in slow motion. When the drums and bass kick in we are taken away from the horror of the monsters and transported to the glory and tragedy of brave men on windswept battles fields. The song ebbs and flows through vistas of depression, victory and eventual flight from the mortal world.

I am, of course, making massive assumptions about the meaning of lyrics but this is precisely where my love of Wall of Sleep stems from. They have the ability to fuel my imagination exponentially. The vocals and the guitars interweaving and the meeting of harmonies reduce me to a child hearing Iron Maiden for first time thinking how are they doing this!?!?. It could be that everyone has a particular harmony that will always ring true for them, it may be that I was incredibly stoned when I heard ‘I Sleep’ which enhanced the experience beyond the reality of the situation. Whatever occurred, it was one of those times when you hear a bit of music and the world seems like it was made for you. And this is only Wall of Sleep’s third best album…

Thanks to Ben and be sure to check out the band at:

 http://www.myspace.com/wallofsleepdoommusic

Evisorax Tour Diary

Here is the only section of Dan's tour diary from Evisorax's tour with Wormrot.

31/08/2011

The night before it all began.

Travelling to to Magor was a complete disaster. After loading into the van at my house, we decided it would be a clever time-saver to make use of the M6 toll....WRONG DECISION!
We missed our turning and the Sat Nav sent us back in a circle - meaning we incurred the toll twice. Besides this, we then had to pay a third time when crossing the Severn Bridge!

With fuel on top of all this, our drummer Brod’s credit card was feeling the heat. After leaving Wigan at three pm we finally arrived at Magor four hours later.

On approaching the front door of my mother’s house, it dawned on me just who was waiting beyond and just what was expected of us, starting from tomorrow morning. A mixture of intense nervous excitement began to whirl around as I made my way through to the garden, where the Wormrot crew were already drinking - desperately trying to muster an ice breaker, the following exchange occurred: 'I’ve brought a beer bong!' ’Good one, dickhead!'

                                                 (This is where the real grind happens)

Needless to say, copious amounts of alcohol consumption, smoking and beer bongs went on late into the night. These festivities were followed by a boxer short hot tub session, naturally. I crawled into my bed feeling as if I’d suffered a stroke, the fear of the impending hangover kicked in as I drifted off..............

01/09/2011.

Cardiff – The undertone.

To wake up with a mouth like a desert and your head feeling like it’s in an eternal washing machine spinning motion is bad enough, but knowing the tour began that morning just made it fucking agonising! Thankfully a mega sized breakfast (which Wormrot referred to as ‘steroid food’) and an alarming amount of coffee and smokes sorted me, although unloading the backline from our vehicle then into the tour bus wasn’t a great deal of fun. It was like a giant game of Tetris, although Brod must have played it a great deal seeing as he was able to organise it all with his eyes shut.

The tour bus was driven by Heath Derrig of Fargo tours and he took a great deal of pleasure in informing us that Slayer and Slipknot had used the bus before.......knickers became moist. During the ride to Cardiff, one thing became blindingly obvious, Wormrot fucking smoke heavily. These guys have fucking iron lungs, man - if there was an Olympic event for smoking then these guys would take the gold.

On arrival at the venue, the first of what would become a daily recurring problem began…stairs. Lugging the entire backline, including over-sized bass and guitar cabs up and down multiple flights of narrow staircases soon became a fucking hassle. Although it wasn’t all negative - the first of what would become a certainty for each night began: riders! Free beer, free food......... a guy could get used to this!

I could hardly keep myself from throwing up before we played, not only was this the first time I’d played a show in over two years, it would also be the first time Brod, Chris and I had ever even run through a song together. Never mind in front of an ever increasing crowd whilst on tour with Wormrot. When we hit that stage I was fucking raging. I wanted to rip faces off and ruin people’s lives; my body was full of adrenaline.

From the second Brod hit the snare, we were off, full force fucking rage! Offending everyone, full on confrontation and no holding back. I don’t remember a great deal of the stage time, just that I was convulsing and enjoying every second, ramming into the crowd and knocking people over. Though half way through, cramp set in, I'd forgotten how demanding this could be. The show was a complete success and people raided our merch table and actually wanted things to be signed.

After Evisorax being defunct for so long, the relief was incredible. Wormrot destroyed the place, every person in there went mental.  The amazing reality dawned on me that I would be able to watch this every night for free and get to play as well. It doesn’t get any better.

Privileged To Fail Records

PFT Records has been going for years now and has released a slew of quality underground music in the form of cassette tapes, CDs, CD-Rs and good old vinyl. The label/distro is run by one man, who goes under the obvious pseudonym, 'Shane Ryan'... 

What made you want to set up PTF?

The idea first happened at one of the many local gigs (same bands, same people, different night) I attended when I was at University in Manchester. One of the bands playing that night was Archer. There is bubble over Manchester that many bands inside it never try to break out of, happy to play in bars with barely functional toilets and carpets that were beyond sticky. It felt like the right time to try and give these bands a little more exposure and Archer were the guinea pigs, as it were.

Friends at the time would often talk about self-financed splits or doing low runs of 7”s with DIY covers by these were always pipe dreams that’d never come to fruition. Others being indecisive and lazy grates on me, so I made things happen on my own.

Were any other labels a direct influence on the process?

Originally, no. Setting up the label was something that had to be learnt on the go. It’s still surprising that the first release ever saw the light of day. There were plenty of delays, from bands, financially and getting the artwork correct for printing.

Digging PTF back out of its grave was inspired by another label – At War with False Noise. While playing in They Are Cowards we stayed at the owner's apartment following a gig in Glasgow with Black Sun. Talking about the releases he’d done and the amount of effort, love and money he spills into it definitely inspired me. It wasn’t long after that work began on the most sophisticated release to date, the Fabio Orsi triple CD set.

How close to your initial vision has the label turned out?

Very close. The aim, or mission statement if you will, has always been the same: release independent music and try to break even. The first part has been a success. The second… not so good. 

Is the reality of running a label close to what you predicted?

The reality is much more miserable and downbeat than anyone involved in the industry would like. I’ve lost a lot of money running PTF and it’s disheartening to have boxes of CDs taking up space and no orders coming in. Genres don’t interest me and with the earlier releases I tried to steer clear of the typical (and boring) artwork and logos you see sprawled all over Myspace Deathmetal band pages. The reality is that releasing something that sounds and looks like everything else sells better. There is nothing ‘individualist’ about these underground genres or groups and that’s worrying. This probably explains my lack of interest in heavier music at the moment; not a lot of worth going on. 

What is the label's ethos?

Release good music that might otherwise never get a wider audience. Being in bands and getting release offers (where you don’t end up paying loads yourself anyway) is an amazing feeling and giving that to other artists is a gift I can afford to give (for now).
I also don’t want to overcharge. People lapping up £30 cassette releases are idiots, the music you buy doesn’t define you, and it causes issues with pricing releases. A UK label once put its records on eBay and monitored them. There was another seller with one of the same records. Both were new but the other seller was charging much more for it. Unsurprisingly, the copy that was more expensive sold and the correctly priced copy (being sold by the label directly) remained unsold. There is something very wrong at the moment, it goes deeper than this but I can’t identify exactly what it is. 

What's been your proudest moment at the label thus far?

Without any doubts that’d be the Fabio Orsi release. The most ambitious release of PTF’s history and the most expensive, it’s one of the very few to eventually break even. I was able to do this with no paid for advertising, minimum review copies and a very reasonable product price. This is how I wanted every release to work. 

 What inspired you to release them, and what is the appeal of cassette releases?

They're cheap to produce in very small units and they’re currently in demand (i.e. ‘cool’). There’s no other reason for them. They sound worse than CD and vinyl, and the artwork is smaller. Again, they’ve sold better than some of my bigger CD releases. It started up about two years ago with some American bands and labels doing low run tapes for around $10 each. It quickly escalated and people were buying cheap cassette decks again.

A laserdisc collector friend of mine recently told me that a seller he’d been speaking to was doing better selling VHS than anything else. Some sort of analogue, retro revival going on at the moment. The trouble is, this post-modern society can shift culturally overnight (well, it appears too). Trends and ‘cool’ products constantly change and it’s becoming harder and harder to keep it with what’s going on. Look at the cassette and black metal scene – it suddenly exploded overnight and yet no one can remember when or why. The next trend could already be underway and you wouldn’t even realise it until you found yourself buying it and thinking ‘wait, when did this become widespread?’. 

Why have you opted for each release to be limited?

The usual answer would be that they can be sold for more than they’re worth. With PTF releases this isn’t the case. All releases are limited to what can realistically be sold. I don’t want boxes of unsold items cluttering up my apartment. In keeping with my original aim, the releases are limited but most often ‘pro’ releases. Finding a pressing plant that can do runs of a 100 has helped a lot.

Where did the PFT name come from?

Miss-hearing lyrics from a Circle Takes the Square song was the inspiration. I toyed with the line and then came up with the label name: Privileged to Fail. It makes senses as the label title too, as I am privileged enough to be able to invest in running a label. By that I don’t mean well off, but that I had the opportunity to use my final terms student loan to release the first record. In other words, I made the opportunities possible, and even if it all fails at least I had the chance to do it.

Has being in bands affected the way you run PFT? 

Yes, without a doubt. I’m very straight about what cut the artist will get and what to expect packaging wise. I make no false promises and do my best to get things released on time. There are delays, as I run this as a hobby, and I’ll always keep everyone involved in the loop. A 20% cut of the press is often what’s agreed.


How did the excellent Fabio Orsi release come about and can you give a brief description of the process from conception to release?

It was a long time in the making. I randomly picked up a CDr release in an order from Mimaroglu Music Sales once and fell in love with it. I collected a few of his releases and then emailed him asking if he’d be interested in doing a collection release. Over the course of a year, and plenty of emails, the project grew into a three CD digipak; two CDs of old material and a brand new record.

What would be your fantasy release of bands both active and gone?

Having involvement in the European release of the last Dystopia LP, releasing a Tim Hecker record or re-releasing all the Catasexual Urge Motivation material on a double LP set. Any of those three would be the pinnacle of the label.

What are you reading/listening to/watching/playing at the moment?

 I’m currently reading The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami. It’s a very good book dealing with an overall feeling of loss and the absurd moments of human life with a very surreal way. He’s one of my favourite authors. The short stories he occasionally writes are free of any clear meaning, following a few characters in a very dream-like way that never even remotely becomes pretentious.

I've just finished Duke Nukem Forever and am glad to have finally played it, no matter how broken or disjointed it is at times. The negative media hype has been interesting to watch too.

I've also recently watched a bunch of films including A Town Called Panic, Chaser, Sparrow, and Departures, all great films in their own unique way.

What are some of your plans for the rest of 2011?

Well, things have recently taken a turn for the worse. The distributor that I had a good relationship with recently went into liquiditation. This meant I lost money and now have no way of getting releases out to a wider audience, or at least it’ll be much more difficult to do it. The next release is by a UK dark-ambience project called Generic that has been in hiatus for a while. It’s a dark, claustrophobic record that really benefits from lights off and headphones on. Whether I’ll continue to run the label will solely depend on how well this record does upon its release. We’ll see.

Big thanks to Shane, and I hope the label is able to continue in the future. Check out PFT and follow Shane on Twitter:

http://ptfrecords.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/intent/user?screen_name=PTF_Records