1. For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Clad in Darkness is a metal band from Chicago that formed in 1999. We draw influence from an array of different genres of music.
2. The band has a new album coming out can you tell us a little bit more about it, what musical direction it will be in and also how does it differ from your past 2 releases?
The new album is titled Decathect; there are seven songs and it totals just about seventy minutes. Foreword and Revelries and Silence are on the album as they were part of the concept. Musically it’s similar, perhaps a little less metal than the EPs, but still a lot of shifts and changes and incorporation of styles outside of metal.
3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the new release explores?
Decathect, lyrically, is loosely based on the novel Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton. Longing, isolation, the wintry landscape of New England are themes that pop up.
4. The band has been around since 1999 but has only recorded 2 eps and a full length, what has been the cause of the gaps?
Well, perhaps you can tell by the delay in response that we’re a bit snail paced around here. It takes a long time for us to get around to doing things for one reason or another. Inspiration doesn’t come too easily to me either, so writing generally takes a while. I just hope that the lack of quantity is made up with quality.
5. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name Clad In Darkness?
It was something 15 year old me and John thought sounded cool I guess. I can’t say we feel the same about it now. I had been writing down a bunch of words I thought sounded cool and had focused on “clad” and “darkness.” John suggested tying the two together.
6. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
I’m known to be a statue on stage. I don’t move much. I feel ridiculous. A lot of people get after me about that. I guess I’m going to have to study Ron Mael’s stage presence a bit more. As whole, it’s pretty straight forward. We get up there and play our songs, no props or anything fancy. Playing with Katatonia, Alcest, and 40 Watt Sun have to be highlights for me.
7,. Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album once it is released?
Nothing set in stone. We’ve discussed having a CD release show. That’s about it, nothing very grand. If something comes along we’ll figure it out then.
8. Is the new album coming out on a label or is it going to be self released?
It’s going to be released independently with the help of our Kickstarter donors. I’d like to thank them again for the support and all the patience they’ve given us. If the world ends when the album is finally released, you can blame Mr. Trepak.
9. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?
Generally we’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback here and abroad. I’d wager that we got a lot more positive feedback abroad than locally when we first started, but black metal and other forms of extreme metal have gotten a lot more popular here and has been for a few years now.
10.Are there any other musical projects going on these days?
I believe John writes a bit for himself every now and then and Casey guests here and there, but other than that there’s not much else.
11.What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
I’m not entirely sure. I couldn’t tell you what direction we’d head in from song to song or even within a song. I’d love to incorporate some folk/country elements that are in the vein of Woven Hand, during the quieter parts taking a page from Erik Satie, some of the strangeness of Morton Feldman. Basically my goal would be to have the listener say, “I haven’t quite heard that before.”
12. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Well at the beginning there was a lot of Opeth and Dissection influence. I’ve been slacking a little bit keeping up with new music. I’ve listened to the new albums by Gorguts, Gris, Kayo Dot, Ulcerate, Oranssi Pazuzu, but really I’ve just been listening to a lot of Simon and Garfunkel lately.
13.Outside of music what are some of your interests?
Nothing terribly exciting, typical things like video games and film. I’m a big Chicago Bears fan. I also like to brew beer. I want to do a Belgian strong dark ale like Rochefort or an imperial IPA like Lake Erie Monster next.
14.Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
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