ESOTERIC

Journey through the mind

Listening to their music has always been bloody dangerous and addictive and the newest ESOTERIC's offering is no exception. It saw the light of the day after four years of painful silence but was definitely worth waiting for. „The Maniacal Vale” is a true masterpiece of funeral doom metal, another jewel in the genre's crown. Listen to it carefully and... nothing will ever be the same. Meanwhile please, welcome vocalist and guitarist Greg Chandler- your guide to the depths of the mind and soul of ESOTERIC.

-Hello Greg! How are you doing? Hope that everything is working fine at ESOTERIC's camp.
Hi, I am fine, thank you. At the moment, we have started writing material for the sixth album, and are busy rehearsing for the upcoming Brutal Assault festival and some UK shows in Autumn.

-What were true reasons behind your recent line-up changes? Is this current line up of the band stable and definite?
The line-up is currently stable, but it is always impossible to tell for how long, because it is often circumstance that affects the line-up, not something you can always foresee happening. Steve Peters left the band for many reasons I think.

-OK, thanks. Now let me congratulate you such a solid work as you did on your new album „The Maniacal Vale”! The album turned out just great so you must be extremely satisfied with the final result, mustn't you?
Well, for us it is impossible to be completely satisfied with something we create, but overall I think it turned out pretty good. We needed more time for the mixing and mastering, but we ran out of time, so couldn’t go back and make further adjustments and improvements. Sometimes I guess we get too focused on details. The overall feel is about right I think.

-Actually, we have been waiting 4 long years for the successor of „Subconscious Dissolution Into The Continuum”. Why did it take so long?
Well, partly because we have actually written and recorded a double album, which takes the same amount of time as 2 albums, really. And secondly, also due to line-up changes, being without a drummer for 18 months before finding Joe Fletcher and then having to replace Steve Peters on guitar with Kris Clayton. Also, the recording process is quite involved, because we are recording so many different sounds and layers of instruments, being a six-piece band that changes the sound of every instrument several times within each song.

-What is the biggest obstacle when it comes to writing and recording a new material for ESOTERIC? How painful is the writing process?
There are no real obstacles. It is just a question of time, and the amount of time it takes to create music and sounds in the way we do and to mature the songs. The creative process varies really. Sometimes the songs are a joint effort, but more often they are written by one member, and then embellished or added to by the other members regarding their own instrument. Sometimes the songs are written as complete arrangements for each instrument by the songwriter. It tends to vary from song to song. The songs are played and experimented with in rehearsal for quite some time before we record them to create the definitive versions. We have our own ways of drawing inspiration and the goal is always to create something unique but from within and true to the self. The songwriting process comes quite naturally to us. The music is created as an aural painting of what lies within the mind. The atmospheres are created to relive the minds’ experiences or inspiration at various levels. Writing a song is sometimes a long process for us, because they are often quite intricate and constantly change, even if it can be unnoticeable to the average listener. The creative process is not painful at all for us. It is the process by which we are exorcising our inner demons.

-As your first two albums, also „The Maniacal Vale” was released as a double disc. According to the note on the promo reverse, this new album is „the logical progression in ESOTERIC's history...”. How would you describe a development of the band's music formula through the years?
In the beginning, the aim was to create dark, psychedelic and experimental music. And to create music based on what we wanted to hear ourselves, to try to be unique, without set limitations and to push the boundaries of music and sound. The aims have always been to try and progress and evolve the music throughout time, in a way that was reflective of and representative of parts of us. I think we have grown over the years as musicians, as composers and in the way we create sound. Our equipment has improved and so has the experience. It’s just naturally what you would expect I think, as we do put a lot of time into the music and it’s creation. And there is a clear distinction between each album, yet maintaining the same Esoteric essence throughout. We don’t have any „set” formula when we are writing music. There shouldn’t be set limits or boundaries. As long as we like what we create, and it works, then we can use it.

-What in your opinion are main differences comparing this new album to your previous works?
I would describe the new album as very “intense” in its form. The atmospheres range between tranquil and totally barbaric. It is not a return to the past, but the next step. Generally speaking, it is more psychedelic and varied in dynamics and tempo than previous releases. But the overall feeling is still extremely dark and dramatic. It is not easy to listen to because the sound is very layered, and requires concentration. The new album is not as dissonant as some of the past albums, which can make it easier for the layman to recognise and digest. The music is still mostly dark and oppressive, but there is more natural use of the light and shade approach, which in some ways strengthens the overall rollercoaster ride and dynamics of the music as a whole.

-„The Maniacal Vale” features 7 songs spanning over one hour and forty minutes. What was the biggest challenge for you guys while you were working on this new effort? The hardest and the most exciting part of the process?
The biggest challenge was to get it recorded and mixed in a reasonable amount of time, simply because there was so much material. A lot of intricacy that is difficult to balance within a stereo mix. The hardest part was the mixing. We had very little time left at this stage, so we had to work very long days, spending up to 20 hours at a time on some days. The most exciting part is hard to judge really. Each step has it’s own merit.

-Tracks on „The Maniacal Vale” are full of crawling and chugging guitar riffs (that have become already a trademark of this band), dark ambient passages, deep gruntling screaming. Very painful yet beautiful at the same time. „The Maniacal Vale” contains all the elements that I believe- constitute the soul and guts of doom funeral music. Can you agree with that opinion?
Well, I am not so sure about categories, and don’t really think about music like that, personally. The term funeral doom was not even around until some time after (to my knowledge) Esoteric formed. And also, there are more elements in our sound and style than you might usually find in bands that are classified as „funeral doom”. Our music is based more on feel and sound than on reproducing a particular style of playing I think. We are classed mostly as doom or funeral doom because the tempo is often very slow. Categories don’t matter to us, but almost all use them anyway. Everyone is welcome to their opinion, of course.

-The most surprising part on the album is probably that small piece at the beginning of „Cacus Of Mind”, based on really fast rhythmics, exploding guitar riffs and some chaotic and really insane solos. How did you come up with the idea to write such thing for a band that is mainly associated with ultra-slow ambient funeral doom soundscapes?
Gordon had had some ideas in mind for a fast song for a while that incorporated some intense use of effects and dynamics to accent the riffing and to represent a decent into madness. Caucus of Mind was the result. There are a lot of effects triggered within this track to build intensity during some of the faster sections. Regarding the reason - we create what we want to hear, basically. We are not thinking in terms of x, y, and z, but focusing on channeling what lies within the mind and creating a very strong representation of our experiences within the music. It is not a case that we have to play slow all the time.