Brooklyn Vegan: an interview w/ Altar of Plagues + mp3
“Tides was written and recorded during an extremely intense winter here in Ireland. It is the first time we have ever worked on material in the winter and I think that had an influence, even if I did not realize it at the time. During the writing I was also spending a great deal of time at a house on the coast, with the Atlantic Ocean just a stone’s throw away. I could not help but become captivated by its energy. While at this place, I learned stories of the hardships endured by people living on small Islands off this coast before the modern world existed. These people were entirely at the mercy of the Atlantic Ocean and as such were very much in tune with its movements and rhythm.
With Tides we also chose to go for a less studio-esq experience and record in a more raw way. The recording of White Tomb was very much a studio experience whereas Tides was more impulsive, we did not spend any time fretting over perfect takes or sounds. I think that is why the end product is less polished and more emotionally driven. That is an approach I would like to take in the future, especially with vocals. A metal ‘shriek’ is a painful, honest expression – but how can it be honest if it is recorded over and over until it sounds correct? (Of course the same approach might not apply to melodic singing, which has a ‘right’ sound.). With the second album I would like to find a balance between having an honest and real (not hundreds of takes) recording that adheres to what we would consider to be album standards. ”
Read the whole interview at Brooklin Vegan: an interview w/ Altar of Plagues ++ the lyrics to Tides!.
Get the mp3 Atlantic Lights from the Tides EP here directly.
Buy the Tides EP here (cd) or here (LP+book),or here (LP).
