Arrogant Destruktor Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
1. We're Arrogant Destruktor. We are a two black metal band from the UK consisting of A.R (Guitars, Bass) and A.T (vocals). We formed in late 2012 and have released two demos and a full length album 'Amidst the blackest Void' released last year.

2.In September you had released your first full length album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from your two previous demos?
2. Our debut full length is a compilation of our two (now sold out) demo recordings and a couple of tracks we recorded specifically for the album. We always wanted to make black metal that was fast and barbaric, a no holes barred and stripped back sound, thrashy riffs with a style rooted in the old school but bringing other metal elements to the table. The drums on the album are performed by Anaal Nathrakh live drummer Steve Powell and Cancer's Carl Stokes who also engineered the album.

3.Your lyrics cover some Mythological and fantasy themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?
3. Our lyrics stem from different influences. I am a big fan of fantasy lore and ancient mythology is something that interests me. Also some of my favourite bands write similarly themed lyrics, King Diamond, Bal-Sagoth, Absu, Old Celtic frost and some of the older death metal bands such as Death and Morbid Angel have written this way which are huge influences.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Arrogant Destruktor'?
4. The name actually came from the lyrics of the first song we wrote for our first demo 'Gold is the flesh of the sun god' which features on the album. The song is about a superior, celestial being who sets upon the destruction of the human race. We thought it sounded fitting for our music.

5.Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you planning in expanding the line up in the future or do you chose to remain a duo?
5. At the moment, it's just the two of us. We haven't taken Arrogant Destruktor to a live environment just yet but it is something we'd like to do under the correct circumstances and with the right individuals. In the studio, Arrogant Destruktor is a two piece and will likely stay that way in the future.

6.The album was released on Wolfspell Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
6. Wolfspell are a small polish label. I believe our album was his second CD release. We were approached by Michal from the label who liked the sound, wanted to do the album with us and a few months later 'Amidst the blackest void' came along.

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?
7.  Both are demo's and subsequently our album have received great reviews, the feedback from listeners of the album has been excellent. Obviously, at this time we are a small underground band with our album on a small underground label, so there's a lot of people who haven't heard it and are unaware of the band so we'd like that to change.

8.Are any of the band members are involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?
8. Yes, A.T is currently the vocalist for an underground death metal band called Merciless Tide. As mentioned, the drumming on our album was handled by Steve Powell of Anaal Nathrakh and Carl Stokes from Cancer.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
9. We're currently busy writing our next album, we have about 70% of it written, so far it's sounding strong, the tracks we've written are better than anything we've written before and also darker and more chaotic and we are looking for a label to work with regarding any future releases. We'd also like to bring Arrogant Destruktor to a live environment at some point in the future.

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?
10. Some have likened us to bands such as Bathory and Darkthrone but our influences come from elsewhere, Bands such as Celtic Frost, Master's Hammer, Absu and Satyricon for example. We both currently enjoy a wide range of music, mostly black metal and death metal. Voices, A forest of stars and The Meads of Asphodel are just a few from the UK that I've been enjoying recently.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
11. Not much non musical really, we go to work, we attend gigs and we write and listen to black metal.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
12. Stay tuned to our Facebook page; www Facebook.com/arrogantdestruktor for updates from Arrogant Destruktor, our album 'Amidst the blackest void' is available now directly from the band and thank you OccultBlackMetalZine for the great review and interview!