Rex Anglorum Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?

Timothy: Rex Anglorum started as a solo project. I did guitar and vocals, and that is all. Thematically, it is based around English history during the medieval period.  I recorded and released the first demo on Deathstyle Records. It went out to four different record stores, but was never performed live.

Iain: I was interested in playing drums with him but we were never able to find the right time to practice. The two songs with drums were rehearsed the day of the performance.

Timothy: While Iain might not have been present when the songs were composed, he had heard the songs in their earliest forms, gave advice, and consulted with me on virtually every aspect of Rex Anglorum's creation.

2. How would you describe your musical sound?

Iain: Primitive. 

Timothy: Loud.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

Timothy: The songs I have written so far have all dealt with king Aethelred. I am not English by birth, but with this subject matter I was able to create an atmosphere and a feeling that really rang true with me. As a student of medieval literature and theater, I see a beautiful society, filled with virtues and folklore that ring very true with me. I also see an imperial, religious structure that challenges that. 

Our songs are about power, war, greed, and death. Militarized Christianity, and the part it played in all of those things, is discussed. Growing up in the midwest, I have been exposed to this kind of hypocrisy my entire life. People that would kill and hate in the name of Christianity. 

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

Timothy: Rex Anglorum means, King of the Angles. This would have been a term used before the invasions of the Normans and the like. 

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

Iain: We have only played one show. Our stage presence is not theatrical. We just play our music. 

Timothy: I have also been developing more material that can be played without drums. I plan on performing more of that in the future.

6. Do you have any touring plans for the future?

Timothy: We plan on playing out this summer. There is not a very large Black Metal scene in the midwest. We hope to change that.

7. Can you tell us more about Deathstyle Records?

Timothy: Deathstyle Records is a label that was started simply to put out music that my friends and I played. I find myself offended and alienated by major labels and the idea that music is a business. We are a label that encourages strong DIY ethics. Music is art, and should be treated as such. It is not a product. 

8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?

Timothy: We are still working on this. A few musicians that have spoken to me, guys from bands like Nordland and Nuklearenpest, have given me very strong feedback. Most Black Metal musicians are very stand-offish with newcomers and I am not surprised that they are hesitant to even listen to it. I am not offended. It comes with the territory. 

9. Are there any other musical projects besides this band or is this a full time line up?

Iain: I also play drums in a post-hardcore band called Texas Instruments and guitar in another black metal band called Boreas. Rex Anglorum is more of a project for me. It's Tim's music that I play drums on. 

Timothy: Rex Anglorum is my primary source of musical expression. I have had other projects in the past, one of which, Funbucker, was also released on Deathstyle Records. I am currently working on a fol-music project with Chelsie Ports. 

10. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

Timothy: It is hard to say. I feel a shift in the lyrical themes, but I think not much else will change. We want to eventually do a release of ambient music in the tradition of Burzum's "Daudi Baldrs." Although, those albums were made out of necessity. I just love it so much.

Iain: Hopefully tighter playing. I like the raw and primitive sound.

11. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Timothy: The music that has influenced the way I use a guitar has been bands like Negative Approach and Agnostic Front. I have always played loud and fast with an electric. The more I listened to bands like Burzum, Nyktalgia, and Maleficencia I started working that into my repertoire. I think I have changed a lot as a guitarist, and what I am doing now is the most creatively fulfilling. 

Nowadays, I've been listening to bands like Nuklearenpest, newer Darkthrone, and Mayhem. Legions of Astaroth is probably my favorite, though. Call me lame, but Satyricon is another favorite. 

Iain: Black metal was the first kind of metal I could really delve into. Black metal is really what has initially gotten me into metal. Primarily, I listen to a lot of post-hardcore. I like chaotic music but I also really like dynamics. Lately I've been listening to The Argument by Fugazi.

12. Does Satanism or Occultism play any role in your music?

Iain: I sure hope so.

Timothy: Rex Anglorum has no specific religious motivations. We judge no one by their beliefs, be it pagan, Christian, or otherwise. It just doesn't fit in the parameters of my creative process. At least not yet. I have recently written a song, that will soon be released in video format only, that discusses further the idea of war in the name of Christ. That is, religious issues of medieval.

13. Outside of music what are some of your interests?

Timothy: I have had horror stories published. I am also a theater student.  

14. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

Timothy: Rex Anglorum is what Black Metal is to us. We make no apologies to anyone who says otherwise.

https://soundcloud.com/deathstyle-records/rex-anglorum-live-at-the