Black Crown Initiate is one of the most interesting stories in heavy music right now. On the strength of their impressive, self-released EP Song of the Crippled Bull, they have made serious waves in the underground. They aren’t going to be a secret anymore since they were added to The Metal Alliance Tour, which was just announced before this interview. Ghost Cult chief editor Keith (Keefy) Chachkes caught up with guitarist/vocalist Andy Thomas about the big news, the pressure of new challenges, and the upcoming next record from the band.
Congratulations on landing a spot on The Metal Alliance Tour! Tell us about how you got involved and why people should show up early to see you.
Thank you very much. This has all happened so quickly. We put out the EP, and it was received very well. Within a few months, some very notable people in the industry were reaching out to us, and the rest is history. We are beyond excited to hit the road with these amazing bands, many of which we have admired for years. People can expect an energetic live performance of our material; including a new song. We are hungry and completely ready for this opportunity. We also feel that, musically, we offer something a bit different from the rest of the bands on the tour. That being said, every band is different and awesome in their own way. If you like us already, you’ll have a great time. We also hope to make some new fans and friends.
It seems like you guys have come out of nowhere in a short span of time. Do you mind walking us through a brief history of the band?
I know it seems that way from the outside, but to us it feels quite different. We have all been playing in bands, together and separately, for years. It took a long time for all of us to come together and form the lineup that we have, one that I am beyond stoked to have intact. Nick (Shaw, bass) and I have been playing together for about 5 years. Rik (Stelzpflug, guitar & vocals) and I basically taught each other to play guitar. We have played in bands together since like 2005 and have always pushed each other to go further on our instruments. I wouldn’t be half the player I am if I hadn’t met him. As a result, our writing styles are eerily similar. The same holds true for Nick. Our writing team is bullet-proof, and we never run out of ideas. Speaking of experience, Jesse (Beahler, drums) has toured all over the place with Jungle Rot and Rings of Saturn, so he is DEFINITELY not new to this whole deal. He actually wrote the EP with us, even though we had another drummer for a bit. James (Dorton, vocals) has been singing and developing his incredible vocal skills for well over a decade, and he has been in multiple bands with all of us. The moral of the story is this: none of us are rookies, fate finally brought us together, we are hungry, and we are willing and able to destroy.
Even the name of the band evokes a mystery theme. Care to elaborate?
The name of the band is completely intentional, and I actually had it when I brought up the idea to start the band with James and Nick. In Tibetan Buddhism, the Karmapa, a high ranking spiritual leader, wears the black crown as a symbol of light and compassion for humanity. Admittedly, I carry an incredibly bleak world-view. Musically and lyrically, the music is very personal to me; it comes from a very dark place. I believe that in our perverted “modern” world, the only hope for people to see any truth and therefore hold any hope of waking up, we must be shown how terrible the world we’ve helped create truly is. I meet people daily who live on clouds it seems, in a dream world where everything is beautiful and great, while our family members travel to other countries and slaughter innocent children. It sickens me.
For an EP release, Song Of The Crippled Bull, is remarkably complex and polished. How long did it take to write and record?
Honestly, I was tired of playing in technical death metal bands, where musical and emotional quality was overshadowed by boneheaded technicality. The EP was written with a certain amount of accessibility in mind, and we wanted it to be emotional before anything else. We wrote it over about 6 months and recorded in 3 days with Carson Slovak at Atrium Audio. We love Carson, and would surely recommend him to any band.
Rarely does our staff agree completely on new bands, but our reviewer glowed about you guys and another staffer called you one of the most important bands in 2014. Do you feel pressure to live up to the praise the band has been getting?
We are beyond thrilled that people enjoy our music. That being said, the EP is simply us doing what we know how to do. We wrote and recorded it without any expectations, and released it not know if anyone would give a shit. With Rik, Nick, and myself writing together, we are very confident that the album will crush. The only pressure we feel is our own, and that is a very healthy thing. The material we have written so far, in our opinion, is even better than the EP. Just like the EP, once we release it, the reaction is out of our control.
The lyrics are also really impressive from an intellectual standpoint. Do you think great lyrics are a dying art in modern brutal music?
Again, thanks for the kind words. I feel that quality lyrics are a direct result of having something to say. I have a degree in history, not literature; and the lyrics on the album are pretty much me saying everything I wish to say to anyone and everyone. I think that the real dying arts are critical thought, truth seeking, and self-reflection.
How do you and James collaborate on the switching off with the vocal parts and patterns when writing? Was Rik involved in this process, or did he come in after the recording?
For the EP, pretty much across the board, James screamed and I sang. James is a trained vocalist with incredible talent and range, so he will be doing a great deal more in the future. The same goes for Rik, even though he wasn’t involved with the EP at all. Vocally, our future releases are going to be insane, and I can’t wait to see what we come up with between the three of us.
Who are some of the bands’ main influences musically?
Every one of us has very different influences, so I can really only speak for myself. My biggest influences are Meshuggah, SYL/ Devin Townsend, Tool, Gojira, Opeth, Mastodon, Behemoth, Decapitated, King Crimson, Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Jimi Hendrix; although that only scratches the surface. I love pop, prog, jazz, world, and classical music. For writing, my main influence is really personal life, and all the negativity that comes with life in America; the supposed greatest country in the world.
What are your plans for a full length recording?
We will be entering the studio sooner than you think. Writing is full-on. Stay tuned.
Are you guys close to announcing a label signing yet?
We have some offers, but it is too early for us to decide or announce anything. We are focused on writing and preparing for Metal Alliance.
Black Crown Initiate on Facebook
Buy Song of The Crippled Bull on Bandcamp
Keith (Keefy) Chachkes