1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Skotose: We are SKOTOSE from Central, Texas. We play raw black metal. Our motto is killing and Satan since our lyrical and visual theme often looks at first-person accounts of serial killers. Also, it’s even better when we have a Satanic killer like Richard Ramirez, The Nightstalker, who left pentagrams at murder scenes.
2.In March you had released a demo, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?
We are raw black metal influenced by black metal greats such as Varathron, Darkthrone, Enslaved, Mayhem, Gorgoroth, Burzum and many others.
3.A lot of your lyrics cover Anti Christianity themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your hatred for this religion?
“Mountain of Suicide” is our anti-Christian/anti-religion song. It was original a tale I penned about wanting to jump of a mountain and commit suicide in California. Once we found our name, SKOTOSE, we rewrote many of our songs to reflect the “killing and Satan” theme. This was one.
Yes, I would say we are an anti-religion, anti-Christian band. I am personally agnostic, but love reading about the occult. Carl can speak for himself about his beliefs.
4.What are some of the other lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?
At first, I tried to be very diverse in my topics. Since we went for the killing and Satan thing, however, we tend to look at first-person point of view serial killer tales. I look at quotes, depictions of crimes, perceptions of self and other’s perception of the killers. “The Light Shall Die,” which will be the title track on an LP, is about death and where you go after you die. Even though “Mountain of Suicide” was changed to reflect the black metal/unholy war attitude, it was originally a tale of suicide. Suicide is touched upon on the upcoming song “Impaled Forest,” which is about the Japanese suicide forest. It’s a dialogue between death and a man. Death beckons him. In the end, the point of view switches from Death to the man, who has made up his mind to commit suicide. “Spirit of Madness” is about the Greek personification of mania, rage and rabies. It’s a song about mania, about having no inhabitions. “Implements of Hell” is our most epic track. It is a song about child murderer, rapist, cannibal and sadomasochist, Albert Fish. Fish claimed to have killed a child in every state. This can not be proven. If so, that would make him the most prolific killer in America’s history. Then there is “Heart of Obsidian,” which is a tragic love story that ends in rape, mutilation and a slow death. It’s our love song. Very melodic, but broodingly haunting, especially in the synth.
5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Skotose'?
Carl is friends with many Greek persons on Facebook including some of their black metal artists. He asked a Grecian friend how to say “kill” in Greek. She said “Skotose.” It also means a commandment to go out and kill. Apparently, Skotos means “darkness.” I’m not linguistic genius, but this is what I know on the topic.
6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the ep cover?
That is a photo of me in my backyard. This was the last time Carl and I hung out. We got really drunk and stoned, snatched the neighbor’s unused wood pile, started a large file and took pics. His pics are really silly as he was very drunk. I didn’t spend a lot of time putting together this photo. I wanted something that looked good and represented us. Plus, the original working of “King of Human Sacrifice” was not about the Zodiac Killer. It was about the true king of human sacrifice, Moloch, who demanded you sacrifice your babies to his fires. This original song will be released in the future.
7.Has the band done any live shows or open to the idea?
No live shows. We played for our girlfriends once. Our goal was to rehearse and record an album to have when we play shows. Unfortunately, SKOTOSE has split and is in the formative stages of two new, SKOTOSE-related bands. I’ll issue a press release when this is all said and done.
8.One of the bands members is also a heavy metal journalist, how many promos or albums do you usually get sent to an a daily basis and also do you feel it is very hard to keep up everything these days, I run into this same problem too as a music critic?
Yes, I, Darren Cowan and a journalist of 18 years. I got over 800 promos last year. I listen to most, but focus on my assignments. I love doing journalism. I love being a part of this scene. I have interviewed hundreds of artists. Some of my favorite black metal interviews include Ihsahn, King Diamond, Burzum, Mayhem, Marduk, Arcturus, Borknagar, Gorgoroth, Enthroned, Enslaved, Seer Bliss, Abbath and many others.
9.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
Yes, I would like to find a label for my first full-length.
10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?
The global reaction has been includible. I know a thing or two about promotion, since I run my own PR company, Shapeshifter PR, so that has certainly helped. I think the demo is a good album and I’ve heard nothing but good things. In fact, members of Samhain, Immolation, Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals have heard the album and given glaring reviews.
11.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Full length is to be announced. This is a classic split like Gorgoroth and Venom. I suspect I’ll release an album and Carl will release an album. This whole split occurred over how best to promote the upcoming full length “The Light Shall Die.” I would think I would know best, since I’m a PR pro of 11 years, but Carl is very stubborn and wants everything done his way. That’s why he replaced me as the vocalist. That’s why he’s try to fire me several times behind my back, even though I’m a founding member. I guess starting a Twitter page and blowing up was not in his cards. He disbanded the group right after we recorded the demo due to our drummer, Longpig, who also recorded the album, wanting to issue a demo before the full length. I think Carl is so adamant on releasing a full-length first because he has never released a full-length album. He released only demos and EPs with his prior bands.
12.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?
Me personally, I’m very influenced by Attila and Dead from Mayhem. Carl is influenced by old school metal like Priest and Maiden, prog rock and black ‘n’ roll like later Satyricon. I’m influenced by thrash, death metal, doom and pagan/folk metal too. Being a journalist, I like a lot of metal genres.
13.How would you describe your views on Satanism?
I enjoy Satan as a character. He is the most hated antagonist in human history. He’s also very misunderstood. He was God’s right-hand man. He was the bringer of light. I don’t believe in Satan as an actual being, but rather a metaphor for blights on society, a metaphor or symbol of evil and negativity. Satan is also a symbol of rebellion, which is why I believe so many black metal artists are so into him. The Church of Satan is interesting in that they don’t lie down like good little lamb Christians, but I also think it promotes being self-centered.
I am agnostic. I do not know what lies beyond this vale, nor do I think I will ever know until I take Death’s cold, bony hand into the afterlife. I’ve had several encounters with death and nearly died one time from a suicide attempt and I’ve never experienced anything supernatural. I think we’re all worm food. “The Light Shall Die” song deals with this and the release of energy and atoms.
14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you for the support from Occult Black Metal ‘Zine and all of the fans. We’ve had an excellent couple of first weeks. The demo has been added to 155 platforms including You-Tube, Amazon and I-tunes, so we have gone global. Stream our songs and purchase downloads (we sugguest $6.66). I’ll have new material in the form of a tape rip coming soon. Be on the look out for that!
Ave Sathanas!, Darren
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