Weep was started in March of this year as a way for me to process some severe mental health issues I was dealing with at the time. It is largely a reflection of the suffering and grief we are all capable of given the correct conditions. I wanted to focus on something in the DSBM realm but with added attention to giving an accurate and honest depiction of mental health as opposed to some of the more performatively edgy bands like Shining. Musically I also wanted to steer the DSBM core of the sound into a more black-gaze and post-metal influenced direction as a means to imbue the music with added emotional heft.
2. So far you have been a part of a couple of split, musically how do they both differ from each other?
There’s a pretty distinct stylistic shift between the two splits. The first split features tracks that are fast and energetic, with some pretty idiosyncratic melodies layered over the top. At the time I was listening to Olvido by Nostalghia from Mexico City a lot and their brand of post-black definitely influenced the tracks on the split with Hypnopompia a lot. The newest split leans much more into post-metal with bigger riffs and a broader atmosphere. There’s a doomy quality to a lot of the riffs but with this undercurrent of melancholic melody that I really enjoy. Obviously there’s still plenty of tremolos and my vocals have always had an unmistakable DSBM quality to them, somewhere in the realm of a cat being stepped on.
3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you have explored so far with the music?
Like I mentioned before, the goal for Weep was to approach the usual themes of DSBM: depression, suicidal thoughts, and self-harm with a much more honest and emotionally open perspective. A lot of DSBM even the popular stuff seems to almost glorify and encourage these kinds of behaviors and experiences. The truth is that no one should have to suffer the loss of a loved one through suicide, and no one should have to be in a place where harming themselves seems like a reasonable course of action. I wanted to focus on the kind of anguish that mental health struggles can generate in a way that depicts the emptiness and unfulfilling nature of it all. There’s also a vague hint of romanticism because I’m a total fanboy for My Dying Bride.
4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Weep'?
Tragically there’s no deeper informative backstory to the name of the project. At the end of the day sometimes we all weep for one reason or another, and I think all of us know what it means to weep rather than simply cry. I thought the word really captured the emotional honesty I was striving for. As men we are often taught to bottle our feelings, to ensure that no one is burdened by our suffering. This is the kind of social framing that lead me to consider killing myself. So you could say I’m perhaps encouraging more people to weep themselves with the name, to be comfortable expressing dark emotions in a healthy manner.
5. Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the recent split cover?
With the most recent artwork I have once again betrayed my fondness for Nostalghia. The artwork on Olvido was by a 19th century Bohemian painter Jakub Schikaneder. I was immediately struck by the potent sorrow in his work and started stealing some of his old paintings for my artwork. The newest release is no different. I think it captures the sort of contemplative sorrow that both Kalliste and I evoke in a way that doesn’t feel tacky or overwrought.
6. With this project you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to work solo?
I definitely enjoy both experiences. Being a solo artist is nice because you never have to compromise. You can make whatever musical decision you think is right and you won’t have 3-4 bandmates babbling in your ear about how you’re a talentless hack. Despite that, I enjoy collaborating a lot because it simply expands the forum of ideas. I would definitely be open to working with other musicians with Weep material, but I also have other projects where I do collaborate so I could definitely see myself guarding Weep as the one project where I get complete control over everything.
7. So far very little is known about the project, are you planning on expanding your presence in the future or do you prefer to keep a lower profile
? Well like most I think my current low-profile is not exactly self-inflicted. Bedroom black metal musicians are a dime a dozen and it’s hard to gain attention for your individual project. That being said I definitely don’t feel the need to remain low-profile. It would be great if my music could get a wider attention because I feel like this kind of DSBM is valuable to a scene which is steeped in pretty cringey edgelord shit most of the time.
8. So far you have been a part of splits with both 'Hypnopmpia' and 'Kalliste', what are your thoughts on the other projects that had participated on those recordings?
I’ve know the man behind Hypnopompia for a very long time and it had been a long-term goal of us to do a split together. I think that the recorded material on our split doesn’t do justice to just how amazing Hynopompia is. They have such a unique approach to blackened doom that borrows a lot from classic 1st Wave stuff in a really unique way. I love the themes in his music as well. Definitely see them live if you can and I don’t say that solely became I’m a member of the live band. As far as Kalliste goes, I feel pretty confident saying Kalliste is the most talented man in underground DSBM right now. A.M. came out of the womb with a completely developed individual sound as if he was born to play this shit. His long-form compositions flow like nothing else out there and the breadth of emotion he can capture is simply staggering. I have every confidence the man is going to do big things and I’m glad I got the chance to collaborate with him before I’m small fry comparatively.
9. On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of depressive black metal?
Well, I think a lot of the attention the splits have received thus far has been pretty positive. I think most of our fans our in the US still but we’ve gotten some interest from publications in Romania and I know Kalliste has some fans in Puerto Rico. I think that DSBM as a genre has a pretty niche appeal even within underground metal but the themes underpinning the music have a universal quality that I hope spurs some more pronounced worldwide interest.
10. When can we expect a full length and also where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future?
I think a full length is probably realistic sometime around early 2024. I have a lot of disparate musical interests and that can make it difficult to synthesize all the ideas into a cohesive package. When you’re a solo artist too writer’s block can totally shut things down since ether’s no collaborators to lean on. That being said I think you can expect Weep to evolve even more in 2023. I have a lot of interesting song ideas that blend goth, blackgaze, doom, and DSBM into something totally unique for the project. The key is just to pull it all together into something that flows and breathes organically.
11. 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?
I listen to a lot of music in general but I can point to early Katatonia, My Dying Bride, Woods of Ypres, Fall of Efrafa, The Cure, and Dark Tranquillity as key cornerstones of Weep’s sound. For my personal listening habits these days I’ve been jamming to a lot of False Figure from Sacramento and Sunrise Patriot Motion from New York. I also have been really vibing with the new Messa album and the Mizmor/Thou collaboration that came out this year.
12. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
I’d just like to thank you again for the interview and encourage anyone out there who is struggling with severe depression or other mental health issues to seek out help from a professional. In the words of the late great
David Gold, “Death is not an Exit.”
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