1. For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?
- Bathyum is a “one man” UK Black Metal band that has been compared with early Darkthrone, Satyricon and Immortal. I started around 2013/2014 with some rough demos that eventually evolved into the songs you hear on the debut album.
2. In February you had released your first album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
- The musical sound is very heavily inspired by the “Second Wave” of Norwegian Black Metal bands but I have taken a more modernized approach on this classic sound.
3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
- Lyrical/Song topics generally include anti-religion, suicide, (Satanic!) Sodomy and general hatred for myself and this world we live in. One of the songs on the album (titled “Black Exorcism”) is about the life and death of Anneliese Michel and uses samples from the actual exorcism ritual.
4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Bathyum'?
- The name “Bathyum” has two meanings. The first is based of the name “Bathin” who is a Duke of Hell. The second is wordplay on the band names “Bathory” and “Burzum” as these two bands are a massive influence to me.
5. With this musical project you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to remain solo?
- I do prefer usually to work solo but as far as working with other musicians to create music, I may consider this in the future. I have had a lot of interest from people asking if I will ever perform any Bathyum live. This is something I have thought about that could potentially happen in the future, but right now I would rather focus on creating more music as a solo act.
6. Heathen Tribes, are re-issuing your album, what are your thoughts on the final product?
- Heathen Tribes have been brilliant in the driving force to bring the music of Bathyum to the world. Having “Rituals of the Damned” on a physical format of music should push the album a lot further than through just digital only production.
7. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?
- Feedback has been great so far. I have had people from around the world leaving me comments and constructive feedback about my music. Many reviewers/bloggers have also expressed an interest in the album with mainly positive reviews throughout.
8. Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?
- I hope to become more diverse in my song writing. I love it when a song can take you to one place then completely change direction without warning. My main aim for Bathyum is to craft a completely unique sound that cannot be compared to anything else (whilst still retaining the classic Black Metal feeling).
9. 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?
- Bands that have inspired me are generally pretty varied, from “Darkthrone” to “Type O Negative”, from “Emperor” to “The Smiths”. I am a firm believer that dark music doesn’t necessarily need screaming and a blast beat. I am currently listening to a lot of 80s Goth Music such as Bauhaus, Depeche Mode, Sisters of Mercy etc. Even though these are not necessarily “Black Metal” they will, as with every life experience, influence me for the future.
10. How would you describe your views on Satanism?
- Satanism is something that does interest me a lot but not as far too actually consider myself a Satanist. The ideology of “LaVeyan” Satanism is a thing of beauty; to “worship yourself” as “God” seems to be the only logical religion in my opinion.
11. What are some of your non musical interests?
- I am a big fan of professional wrestling. This has interested me from a very young age. I became so obsessed with the sport that I trained to be a pro wrestler and wrestled some local shows in 2013/2014. Due to injury and wanting to pursue other paths, I decided to end this journey at the beginning of 2015.
12. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
- Thank you to everyone who has listened to the album (I hope it wasn’t too disappointing…). Keep an eye out for the CD release through Heathen Tribes and keep supporting underground metal.
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