Grievance is a black metal band coming from the haunted lands of Caldas
de Rainha, Portugal. Their music is soaked with mournful sorrow, melancholy,
dark journeys to ancient obscure worlds and
landscapes, and of course blasting passages. “Pilar, Pedra e Faca” album has
just been released on CD (and reviewed for Blessed Altar Zine), offering
amazing musical diversity to reach the majestic infinite dark. I invited
Koraxid, the mastermind of the band, to tell us more about his night chants and
his bequests to eternity
Hello, Koraxid! Great to have you on
the Zine! Thank you for your time. You have been the mastermind of Grievance
for more than 20 years now, performing everything in the band. How would you
describe this voyage into darkness and what are its roots actually?
I am a Black Metal fan since about 1994, when i knew the style
i was immediately mesmerized by it, soon i started learning to play drums and
founded my first band, called Tenebrous Dominacy. Some months after Grievance
was founded as a side project by me and Azarath, who was the bass player in
Tenebrous Dominancy, in May 1997.
You have been in a lot of bands during
this period and Grievance always stayed alive. Tell us more about it. How
important is this project for you?
Nowadays Grievance is my main band and I am fully committed to
progress it and dedicate myself into crafting more and more music, of course it
was not always like this, I was involved in a immense array of projects through
the years, and I concluded that it is best to focus my energy in developing my
personal musical views, I have become in some way more misanthropic with time.
Where does the name of the band come
from?
The word Grievance actually has a lot of different meanings,
being the main one a real or imagined cause for complaint, especially unfair
treatment. I know the first thing someone thinks is that grievance derives
directly from the word grief, but that is not true, although it is also
related, I appreciated the name because of the varius meanings, giving a more
open source of themes and images to reflect the band’s future works. The name
of the band was taken from the lyrics of the music “The burning shadows of
silence” from the album “In The Nightsid Eclipse”, Emperor’s first album.
Why did you decide to go solo?
Grievance actually went solo by physical distance between the
founders (I live in Western Portugal and Azarath Lives in Southern Spain) and
incapability of rehearsing and composing new music. The decision was made by a
mutual and friendly agreement, back in 2011.
Your first album “Retorno” was released
in 2013? Why did it take you so long since the very beginning?
The reasons are, again, the distance between the members of
the band, which were solved when the band became a solo project. The first
album was crafted in the winter 2011/2012 and was released some time after by
Nyarlathotep Records label, from Brazil. At the time I was also occupied by
other projects, but still I had the advantage of working solo to craft new
music for Grievance.
“Pilar Pedra e Faca” basically came in
2016 after two years of recording sessions. Let us know more about this awesome
record.
The album was composed in 3 phases: First I composed the drum
parts and recorded the guitar lines and arrangements, from September 2013 to
March 2014. Then, for personal reasons, I had to stop the process. The bass
lines were recorded somewhere in 2015 and finally the lyrics and voices were
added in September – October 2016. The Portuguese guitar was added in part by
me in 2014-2015 and by a guest musician – Tiago Da Neta, a great musician and
music teacher, added the more elaborated lines. Two of the bass lines were also
recorded by the guest musician Joaquim “Vulture” Moreira, an old friend who
played in Vanadyum, one of my past bands. It was recorded, mixed and mastered
in my home studio, Axe Farm Studios.
How do you see it now, just freshly
released by War Productions? Would you change anything?
I think it was the best i could do in the moment, and the
moment was captured in this recording. I would not change anything in the
songs, probably the sound production could be better, but at the same time I
think this production gives personality and originality to the album.
There is a great diversity in the
songs structures. On top you use Portuguese guitars on the record to achieve
tranquil mesmerizing and yet so tense moods...What are your main influences to
write so atmospheric, grieving and in the same time aggressive music?
My main influences are nature, history and occultism, Portugal
is a very old country with a great history, including the musical history also.
The most original sound from Portugal is the Portuguese Guitar, a instrument I
personally love because it has a very unique sound, sio I tried to put a more
“Portuguese” feeling in my compositions by adding this instrument. I want to
forge a “Portuguese” sound in my music, and this album was another step towards
that.
You write your poetry for the songs in
Portuguese too. What are the suggestions behind?
It was a natural thing, i can also like to write lyrics in
English but to me sounded more natural to write the lyrics of this album in my
mother tongue.
Which are your favourite bands? Are
there any other musical influences for you besides metal music? Maybe art,
history, beliefs, another musical styles etc...?
I do not have any “favourite” bands, i love so much different
styles of music and artists that is almost impossible to say that my favourite
is this or that... Of course there are some that I have in more consideration,
such as the classics of the genre, the first and second generation Black Metal
bands that marked me more were Bathory from the first wave and from the second
wave the first releases from Immortal, Emperor, Enslaved, Absu, Abigor, Mayhem,
Burzum, Setherial, Ved Buens Ende, Dissection, Isvind, etc…
If you can pick up just one band to
share a stage with, which one will it be?
I would love to share the stage with Inquisition, to me one of
the best Black Metal acts active today and with a better live performance.
You went into 200 years old mansion to
find an inspiration for your new record? Tell us about this experience!
I have the advantage of living in a very desolate countryside
area, with lots of ruins, haunted places, forests and ancient places. Since I
was a kid I prowl this places in search of the inspiration, sometimes in the
day, other times in the night. To me it is very important to have a certain
mood to write music and lyrics for Grievance.
Your next record? When to expect it
and what will be your messages in it?
The next record will be much more varied and aggressive and at
the same time with a more vast array of musical ambients, the lyrics will focus
in power rituals, poetry and occultism, all sang again in Portuguese.
Who are the musicians to support you
on your live shows?
The live line-up consists of also very different musicians,
some of them more experienced, others less, but all of them with a very similar
view of my music. The live line-up is improving in each rehearsal and in next
summer Grievance will start playing live, finally. The array of ages is also
vast going from 23 Years old to 40 Years old. A lot of different generations of
Black Metal fans are present in this 4 members.
How do you see the current black metal
scene worldwide and in Portugal?
The Black Metal scene is strong, and lately with a lot of good
bands appearing, which is great, that also applies to Portugal, where the scene
is getting a better worldwide reputation, growing each year.
Is there anything else you would like
to share with us and our troops of readers?
Yes, first and foremost, keep supporting the underground,
never stop the search for new music and new bands, keep the Black Metal Flame
alive in your soul!
I would like really to thank you for
this interview. We’ll be looking forward to hearing news from you. Wishing you strength
and inspiration!
Thanks for the interview, all the best for the zine!
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