Today, Lachryma Christi brings you an interview with a Black Metal band from the USA, called Alghol.
Alghol is a one-man band, who has already released two full lengths, amongst other stuff such as EPs, singles and a split.
The interesting part about the releases though, is that the Alghol's most recent album Night Eternal is coming out this month! More precisely on the 28th. If you are interested, you can read a review for the same here: https://lachrymachristizine.blogspot.com/2023/06/review-alghols-upcoming-album-night.html
In the meantime, let's read what Pete has to say. I must add he has quite a good sense of humour!
What is the meaning of the name Alghol?
Alghol is actually just a misspelling of the name “Algol”, which is the name of a star. The star “Algol” is also commonly referred to as “The Demon Star”. I came across the name in the Lovecraft story “Beyond the Wall of Sleep” around the time I was starting up the project and thought Algol would be a rad band name. I did a quick google search and found a few other bands out there called Algol so I added a silent “h” in the middle of it and went on my way haha. The name has definitely influenced the lyrical themes quite a bit though, with “The Demon Star” being this kind of sinister cosmic force pulling strings in the world where my stories take place.
Alghol is sort of a recent project, and is only you Pete, doing all the music. How do you manage to have quite a few releases already, in such a short time?
I think that mainly has to do with being able to work at my own pace and not really having to rely on anyone else’s timeline. I think the frequency and volume of my output is actually kind of moderate compared to some other underground black metal projects, but I like to take as much time as I need to make each release something I’m proud of. Shifting my focus to writing full length albums over EPs and splits seems to have actually slowed my output a bit which is a good thing in my mind. But I also don’t play live or tour or anything like that, so I’m able to write new music at a quicker pace than some of the bands who tour heavily.
Was Alghol always meant to be a one man band, or it just happened that way?
It really just happened out of necessity. I’ve never had too many friends who were musicians, especially musicians interested in playing black metal. I’ve been playing guitar for most of my life, and also have been producing/recording music for over a decade, so I had the tools I needed to get started. I just can’t drum to save my life and never had much interest in doing vocals or thought I’d be able to pull it off so I got hung up on that for a long time. Mortician and their shameless use of a drum machine actually gave me the push I needed to try and do something on my own haha. But I’m glad I did. I’ve been an extreme metal fan for almost 20 years at this point and always wanted to make that kind of music. Better late than never I suppose haha.
How would you describe the kind of music you play?
It’s just black metal haha. I’m not entirely sure how else to describe it. From a sonic standpoint, it’s all heavily influenced by those classic Scandinavian bands like Dissection, Satyricon, Emperor, etc. As far as lyrics and themes go, I really love the storytelling element King Diamond brings into his albums. I also love the world building that Ghoul does. Basically, just creating a more immersive experience for the listener has always been appealing to me so I try to do my best to emulate that.
Where do you get your inspiration to compose the music you make?
I get inspiration from all over, whether it’s from other music, movies, books, or just being out in the woods. Haha and booze too of course! I definitely have a wide array of influences that’ll spark ideas, and then it’s just a matter of taking those ideas and molding them to fit my project. Like for example, the inspiration for the storyline of my new album “Night Eternal” was kickstarted by this cool witch doctor tiki mug I have. There are plenty of other things that influenced that album and shaped it into what it became, but that’s where it started.
What are usually the themes of your lyrics?
It’s all just dark fantasy, horror type shit. I tend to avoid any sort of ideological or political themes as that stuff is so uninteresting to me, especially in a Black Metal setting. For me, the driving force behind this project is escapism. I want to create something that allows the listener to tune in, go on an adventure and forget about the real world for a little bit.
Alghol started at the same time as pandemic and it's restrictions hit. How was it for you to record and share your music during those times?
I actually had been working on music for what would become Alghol for a year or 2 prior to the pandemic. Originally, I was trying to make more death metal oriented stuff. Something in the vein of Thou Shalt Suffer. I’ve still got some unreleased stuff from that time. It kind of sounds like a wish.com version of Belphegor haha. But I had written the first half of the “Forgotten Paths” EP before the shutdowns started and things got real crazy. The pandemic hitting definitely gave me more time to focus on writing and recording and kind of developing my sound, but I think it was also a major reason for people hearing my stuff. I found the Instagram Black Metal scene around that time and latched onto that, which is probably the only reason people found my music in the first place and the primary reason I’ve been able to grow this project, so I’m super grateful for that whole scene. I’ve met a ton of cool people on there and made a bunch of useful connections. It’s been a lot fun so far haha.
The United States have been the cradle for a lot of Death Metal bands, but not as much for Black Metal bands. Or at least, that's the idea people get from outside the United States. However, in the last years, there has been some really good Black Metal music made in there. How do you see the Black Metal scene in the USA?
Oh I think it’s great. There’s obviously the classic USBM bands like Judas Iscariot, Leviathan, Profanatica, etc. that have been around for a long time, but I think theres also a lot of newer stuff coming out that’s really good. It’s awesome to see bands like Lamp of Murmuur starting to get some serious attention. Its well deserved in my opinion. But I think with how music tech has progressed and made it so easy for anyone with a laptop to make music, the idea that certain locations produce better types of music than others is starting to become less prevalent. Like whether its the classic Norwegian Black Metal sound, or the Florida Death Metal sound, or Swedish Death Metal, all these famous sounds are the result of certain producers working in certain studios. Of course the bands themselves played no small part, but in my opinion, the producers are the ones who really shaped the sound and that’s why I think its been traditionally easier to put geographic tags on certain styles. Now, people don’t need to go to a studio or work with a producer anymore. Some Japanese kid could cook up something that sounds like it was recorded in 1992 at Morrisound Studios in Florida. Geography doesn’t really matter as much anymore. Anyone from anywhere can make good metal. If anything, the more important aspect is where people draw influence from.
What is your favourite release of Alghol, if you have one?
It usually tends to be whatever my most recent release is. So at the moment it’s “Night Eternal”. That's not to say I don't enjoy my other releases or aren’t as proud of them, but my goal with each new release is to out-do my previous work and I feel like I’ve managed to hit that goal with each release so far. To me, “Night Eternal” showcases a more polished, refined sound and direction for this project. It also incorporates some different influences and ideas than my previous work. It's just an overall good representation of where this project is now and where it’s headed.
How did the idea of doing a cover for the song "L'Amour Toujours" (originally by Gigi D'Agostino) come up?
Haha yeah that’s a fun tune. My friend who runs Black Occult Productions loves the original version by Gigi D’Agostino and he’s the one who showed me that song and generally turned me on to Gigi. I actually made like a 30 second clip of the song as a joke just to send to him, but wound up posting it on instagram as well. I got a lot of positive reactions to it so I decided to finish it. It was originally supposed to be a bonus track only available on the vinyl version of “The Osseous Key”, but I uploaded the digital as well. The vinyl version is still the only physical version that has that song on it though. Who says Black Metal can’t be fun?
Alghol has a new album called Night Eternal coming up later this Summer. For the people who haven't heard it yet, what can they expect?
“Night Eternal” is brand new adventure that takes the listener deep into unexplored jungle and the darkness that lies within. It picks up several years after the events of “The Osseous Key” and is packed full of sick riffs, spooky synths, graphic drug and alcohol abuse, and reckless disregard for human life. It’s definitely some of the best music I’ve ever made, I’m super proud of it, and I can’t wait for everyone to hear it in its entirety.
Is there anything else you'd like to tell about Alghol, that I have forgotten to ask?
Nah, I think we’ve covered a good amount here haha.
What advice or message would you leave to people starting a band or a project right now?
I think one of the most important things in getting started is to make sure you don’t get hung up on perfectionism with your first release. Its so easy to get caught up in this mindset where you wind up never actually releasing something because it isn’t perfect in your mind. There should always be room for improvement. The inverse is also true though. Don’t put out some half assed, terrible sounding release just because you can. Take time to make something you genuinely enjoy and are proud of before putting it out there. Finding the balance between those 2 ideas is fucking crucial.
Read more about Alghol here:
Pre-order Night Eternal here:
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