Welkin Dusk Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?
Louis: We are a 4 piece crusty black metal band from Chicago with thrash metal and doom influences. We started in like..09' or so and have released a self titled demo and a full length called born into a dying world.

2. How would you describe your musical sound?
Louis: ..a crusty black metal band with thrash metal and doom influences. However, the style of black metal we play also varies. Some of it sounds like raw black metal, some of it sounds like US black metal(USBM)and some of it sounds like depressive suicidal black metal(DSBM). We mix it up a lot but we always carry the same welkin dusk feel.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Louis: Depression, hopelesness, destruction and antifascism.
Matt: It varies from DSBM style lyrics about suicide and despair to subjects of concern to anarchists, such as opposing fascism, snitches, prison, etc.
Some songs bridge the gap by expressing contempt, disgust, and hopelessness to the totality of society, and using these feelings to motivate opposition to it.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?
Matt: We straight ripped off Emperor because it sounds cool haha.

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?

Matt: Playing with MUTILATION RITES was definitely a great experience. We've played a lot and toured with KRANG, a local stenchcore band, and they always sound great and have lots of energy. I don't really know how I look when we play. I'm really focused on enjoying the music. Louis looks like a fucking maniac.

Louis: Passionate!!!

6. Do you have any future plans for a tour?
Louis: We are about to tour the east coast March 30th- April 8th

7. Currently you are unsigned are you looking for a label and if so, what kind of lavel do you feel that would be a perfect fit for the music?
Louis: I am down for any label that is willing to help us put out records and who aren't assholes or sketchy. We are pretty broke so can't be too picky.

8. I have seen your band posted in Red and Black Anarchist zines, can you tell us a little bit about this movement?

Matt: It seems like some of the sentiment is simply opposition to NSBM, but for me, it's an expression of how much anarchist ideas are compatible with the feelings of being outside of society, and the rage, sorrow, and desperation that accompany them.
Louis: Hatred and anger are neutral entities. Just because black metal is so aesthetically representative of those entities should not make it a musical nest for fascist bull shit. As an anarchist I am just as angry and hateful as any. However, my enemies are legitimate and worth opposing. I do not scapegoat non-whites and jews. " Smash their fucking face"

9. On a worldwide level how has your music been received by fans of black metal and crustcore?
Louis: seems like people dig it. A label in france and one in Malaysia are repressing the first full length and we have gotten a lot of compliments from other parts of the world.
Matt: Thanks to the internet, people all over the world have responded very positively. It's pretty amazing and flattering to be embraced by a worldwide punk/metal community. Crusties and black metal fans have both been pretty into it. I don't know how tr00 kvlt we are, but fuck all that
posturing.

10. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
Louis: We have two guitars now but stylistically there is no particular aim. Perhaps there will be more melodic parts and even grosser stenchy parts to keep the balance.

11. Are there any other projects besides this band or is this a full time line-up/
Louis: I play in hitokiri along with mike. If that ever ends for some tragic reason I am going to stick to welkin dusk. my heart is really in this band.

12. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Louis: as far as the band goes i'd say Iskra, cognitive dissonance, darkthrone, panopticon. Myself, I have mostly been listening to rap, DSBM and alkaline trio lately haha. I generally like a lot of 80's stench core and black metal bands that sound like they are crying(im in a coffin, silencer etc)

13. Does Paganism, Occultism or Satanism play any role in your music?

14. Outside of music what are some of your interests?
Louis: been skateboarding for 13 years and training minimally in Mixed MArtial Arts for 3 years. Candy!!

15. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?'
Louis: Thnx for the interview!! Look out for the split 7" with RAMLORD and the BM comp coming soon from Crust or Die. Burn them prisons, kills the nazis. Death to the state and capitalism.

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