1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Gauntlet - Gossamer initially started as a one-off project that I created at a time when I was feeling quite hopeless and directionless. I had written a handful of songs after ignoring the musically creative side of myself for many years. I felt defeated by a sense of perfectionism for so long but finally said “fuck it” and let it out. I approached Nadir, who is one of my oldest and closest friends, in hopes that he would help me execute my vision. He had some experience in making black metal and matched my passion and love for the craft. While Ashen Cloak was certainly a shaky entry in retrospect, it was essential in us finding vision and executing our first album in the style of that vision. Now, what was initially meant as only a cathartic release is very driven and focused, with our goal always being to push Gossamer forward.
2.Recently you have released your first full length, musically how does it differ from your previous demo?
Nadir – It's better in pretty much every way, in our opinions. Since we did Ashen Cloak, I have certainly learned a lot about recording/production/mixing/mastering. I think that is reflected majorly in TCoC's sound comparatively. I would also concur that the style itself has become more refined down to a more pure raw black/death metal approach.
3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?
Gauntlet - While World War, nuclear war, and the holocaust were the main influences for the lyrical topics on TCoC, our themes are not entirely relegated to that, nor will they continue to be. For example, “Yggdrasil Ablaze” is about the destruction of our sacred Earth and how human nature responds. “Changeling”, from Ashen Cloak, is entirely about struggling with addiction, and I like to keep some of the other themes in the dark. However, moving forward, our lyrical topics will continue to change, and our next album will focus on the testing and ultimate failure of faith in the times of famine and plague.
4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Gossamer'?
Gauntlet - It just feels right. Gossamer is defined as a fine, filmy substance made of cobwebs, which is a feeling I’ve always wanted to evoke in a listener. Getting lost in a mire of cobwebs, which are hiding many secrets from the naked eye. I imagine the songs like webs that I must weave, each with different designs, hiding different secrets. Gossamer is also a substance that I imagine would universally appear in any of our other lyrical topics.
5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the album cover?
Gauntlet - The album cover was also a collaborative piece by Nadir and I. Nadir had the image of the dead soldier in the pool of filth, and I had drawn the border that surrounds the image. I’m not very skilled with a pen, but I was the only person who knew what I wanted, so, again, I gave it a shot. I also feel that the color scheme perfectly fits the atmosphere of the album.
Nadir - The image in the frame is a still from some old WWI footage. It shows a soldier lying dead in a crater blown in the ground presumably by a large explosive. These craters littered the areas known as "No Man's Land" or the stretch of land that soldiers had to cross when leaving their own frontline trenches. This was where they were likeliest to die, where they felt the most fear. These areas were left as desolate wastelands, and the images of that horrible time are still here to haunt us today.
6.Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you open to expanding the line up or do you prefer to remain a duo?
Gauntlet - If we were to perform live, I believe we would have to unite with a drummer. When writing songs, however, we prefer to remain a duo at the core. Nadir and I have a vision for Gossamer that we are not necessarily willing to let others intervene on. However, if we were to find a passionate and dedicated black metal drummer, I believe it would be a different story. This is not a terribly easy thing to find in Michigan, though I try to keep an open mind when talking to people who might be interested. However, it is difficult to imagine working with a drummer who doesn’t connect with black metal the same way that we do. Either way, Gossamer will continue with Nadir and I at its core, though as time goes on, we will likely include collaborators to execute the musical passages that we are not able to ourselves. With some of the music I’m writing for the future of Gossamer I plan to include other instruments, such as violin and perhaps even woodwinds.
7.So any of the band members have experience playing in other bands or musical projects?
Gauntlet - Absolutely. Nadir has a long history of experience in many other projects and we’re both working on respective projects currently both collaboratively and not. We are working on another raw black metal project currently, that I expect will see its release in the next six months hopefully. I also have an indie rock project that I’m currently writing music for called Ivy Takes. I’ll reveal more on that in the future. In general, we plan on developing the Mystic Conquest label quite a bit.
Nadir – I am both currently active in several projects: Anteomedroma (solo raw black metal project, formerly known as Wraith), An Angel Submerged (Solo/sometimes collaborative rock project which also tends to have a darker sound), Deja Senti (electronic project which I started last year when I got a sampler, modular synth, and a few other synths and became obsessed with the Amen Break), and Belling the Tiger, which is a progressive rock band my father is also in. I was raised by two musicians in a very musical household, so I've been playing it in some capacity pretty much my whole life.
8.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
Nadir - I would say most fans of those genres who I have shown the album to personally have enjoyed it. One of our favourite Youtubers ever, Mao Da Gloria, uploaded it and really digs it and that was really cool.
9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Gauntlet - Currently, we are writing music for the next Gossamer album, and though it will still be some time before it sees the light, I already would consider it an improvement, at least for myself, over the songs I’ve written in the past. I am intensively tweaking these songs and making them better, and I cannot wait to flesh them out further. The next album will have a distinctly medieval influence, we’ve decided, given the subject matter of famine and plague. However, what I hold in my mind’s eye is not something chivalrous or fantastic, but agonizing and frightening. Musically, these melodies are more decadent, more balanced, and there is certainly more sadness paired with anger for the next album. The riffs are more complex, but where I really want to push for a difference lies within my vocals. I plan to have a more theatrical approach to the vocals, and I want to push them to bursting with expression. We talk on a weekly basis on how to improve our approach in the future, and for myself at least, it drives me harder. I suspect we’ll continue down this path of raw black metal for the most part with an amalgam of other influences. There will be a greater focus on tone and sound, as well. However, I doubt we will ever become overtly atmospheric in style, nor more basic. I would always like to push our brand of black metal forward. I am planning a concept album as well in the future for Gossamer, that will be paired alongside a cosmic horror short story I will be writing for it. I am also hoping to develop art based on the concept, probably collaboratively. A concept like this takes time to execute properly, and my personal life also demands a lot of attention right now. However, I am determined to make it happen, and hopefully then I’ll be ready for what I want Gossamer to become.
10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Nadir - I listen to a lot of black metal, obviously, first and foremost. Rawer stuff has been particularly enjoyable to me the last few years. Leviathan/anything Wrest does is some of my favourite. Really excited for the new Odz Manouk albums to come out, it's really awesome that that guy is back. Trha, The Silver Knife, Oerheks, Zeegang (and really any R.v.R project for that matter), Trest, Heltekvad...just to name a few I frequent. I have a big fondness for jungle/breakcore stuff. I listen to a lot of Brazillian Tropicalia stuff, anyone curious about that should check out Clube da Esquina by Milton Nascimento and Lo Borges, one of the greatest albums ever. I really love old school rap and hip hop, particularly the evil stuff that was coming out of Memphis TN in the early 90s. I enjoy progressive rock and math rock quite a bit as well. Above all, I really love independently recorded and produced music. If the album was recorded by the artist at home, that greatly interests me.
Gauntlet - Obviously, black metal is a core influence for Gossamer. Some of my all-time favorite projects include Leviathan/Lurker of Chalice, Paysage D’Hiver, Taake, Furia, Darkthrone, The Ruins of Beverast/Nagelfar, Beketh Nexehmu, and Armagedda among others, but the new Thantifaxath, Kostnateni, Afsky, Crucifixion Bell, Pa Vesh En, and Dodheimsgard albums have been the subjects of my admiration for the year of 2023. I also must mention Trha and Esoctrilihum, both of whom have been incredibly influential for both of us these last several years in particular. Aside from that, I’m really into other walks some death, doom, progressive rock and metal, tons of indie, tons of goth and industrial, lots of older punk, shoegaze, most types of jazz, contemporary classical, and ambient. Just to avoid my response turning into a fucking manuscript, I’ll lastly just mention that lately I’ve been to listening to a lot of The Chameleons, Killing Joke, The Hives, Hot Water Music, and Parquet Courts.
11.Does Occultism play any role in your music?
Gauntlet – Oh very much so.
Nadir – Occultism plays a roll in all things.
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Gauntlet - Know that this is just the beginning. Thanks again!
Nadir – Recusion.
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