Blood Of Raui'Ahn Interview

 

 1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

We are Blood of Raui’Ahn out of the crusty city of Allentown, Pennsylvania.  We’re really a rotating collective..different area musicians swap in and fill the character, the only constants being myself (Søppelskaler) and vocalist Raui”Ahn.  We play kind of a mix of Death/Black/and War metal…but a bit twisted and fucked, you know? 

  

2.So far you have released 4 ep’s and a full length, musically how do they all differ from each other?

The full length, “Mutations Under a Blood Drenched Sun” was our one really true focused and cohesive effort.  Songs were written and rehearsed, and we really went all out to make it as intense as sonically possible. You’ll note a bit more of technicality coming through in that release. 

The ep’s (especially the first) are pretty off the cuff…writing together as we’re recording pretty much.  I’d say the intensity comes through a bit better this way…as I feel the ep’s are really some of the best stuff we’ve tracked.  

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?

We’ve focused on brutal hand to hand violence (our favorite), the songs titled as members pseudonyms are kind of character building stories…I think there’s one of those on each release or close to it…some prehistoric stuff is thrown in there, eating babies…all that good stuff.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Blood Of Raui'ahn'?

Raui’Ahn is the name of our vocalist.  And the circle of musicians that surround her at any given moment drink from her “blood” as a ritual before any creative work is done.  A war metal cult leader if you will. We are meer peons to Raui’Ahn. 

5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the ep cover?

The cover of the most recent ep is quite literally Raui’Ahn taking part in a self mutilation blood ceremony that we filmed.  I wanted a crusty, raw look to this release to fit the sounds inside, therefore the minimal design choice.  The original photo itself is incredibly explicit, but I’d love to get that version out eventually.   

6.Has the band done any live shows or are open to the idea?

We haven't played live to the public as of yet.  Although it’s a strong possibility that may happen in the near future, the more we’re getting together, which has been difficult in the past.  So we’ll see.     

7.So far very little is known about the band, so you prefer to keep a lower profile?

Absolutely.  Keeping the mystery alive in this business is a beautiful thing.  I was always way more into bands with that mysterious factor growing up, you know?  Kept me coming back for more.  I liked imagining these mythical beasts creating these immense sounds I was experiencing, having no human references.  And I try to carry that same ideal really to every music or art project I’m associated with.

8.All of your releases have come out on 'Shadow Speculum Productions', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

It’s barely a label hahaha.  We started it up a few years ago pretty seriously at first ( my creative partner Fractal Creature and I )….putting out a few tapes and CD’s..dabbling in some distro…got those merch tables going….did some co-releases with a few cool labels,  But it cooled off.  Our lives got hectic and it fell to the wayside a bit.  

As of now it’s really just a spot for digital releases from all of our side projects.  

Our goal for 2023 into 2024 is to get it going more actively with some outside bands, local bands…and release cool weird art as per usual. 

9.On a worldwide level, how has the reaction been to your music by fans of war metal?

Really fucking positive thus far.  I mean, we’ve made a pretty small impact all things considered, so any crazy motherfucker that enjoys what we’re up to…we love you and it’s humbling.  

It felt great to get the bit of attention we did for our first ep with no press release or warning, just dropped in on the war metal world and it was well received.  And big thanks to anyone sharing and uploading our stuff to youtube and all that.  Eternal gratitude from us…we’re not the biggest marketers of ourselves hahaha…so any is appreciated.   

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

As of right now, after the release of the recent ep, things are on a break.  No writing for a bit.  We all have other musical endeavors.  I personally am going to be focusing on a new Myrdød ep that is absolutely fucking batshit crazy and I’m stoked for.  

In general though with Blood of Raui’Ahn…I’d think musically we’re going to stay along the same path we’ve kind of established musically.  Really dank, awful, abrasive death/black/war metal.  The sound of the outputs really rely on who ends up playing alongside us.  So we’ll see!  You might see one more ep from us before year end, who knows.   

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?

Originally we were really drawing influence from the classics…Blasphemy, Beherit…and then stuff like Revenge and Antichrist Siege Machine.  Personally I have a more Death Metal heavy playing background, so that really comes through…creating more pocketed groove sections.  

But we all listen to a HUGE variety of music personally.  I’m a huge fan of dungeon synth…so anything H.D.K. is putting out on bandcamp, I’m grabbing!  Great cassette releases. The new Curta’n Wall is excellent, as always…Grimestone Records will always be a top favorite.  Lastly, I’d say Chat Pile has been my favorite band the last few months.  Really fucking hard hitting, mid 30’s sad guy kind of stuff that just works for me right now hahah. 

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

We’d all like to say thanks for including us in this, it was cool to do.  Thanks to anyone reading this, anyone that's supported us…thank you…we are eternally grateful.

Also!  Look for the new deathgrind project “Fetal Speedball”, made of members from Blood of Raui’Ahn.  A demo will come out later this month I believe.  It’s crazy shit…and if you like our stuff, then “Fetal Speedball” is right up your alley.

Hailz!   

-Søppelskaler

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