1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the solo project?
A: Greetings. Spellsword is my solo-project. I have participated in different Portuguese metal projects (Antichthon, Existence:Void), yet always as a vocalist. Spellsword is my means of showing my world my personal compositions and work as an instrumentalist. I have written all music and lyrics for this first album, and performed all instruments with the exception of the drums, which were recorded by the tremendously talented João Dourado, although written by me.
2.You have a new album coming out towards the end of July, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?
A: That was a curious turn of events. I started Spellsword expecting it to be a "pure" Black Metal project. Yet I could not escape the influence of my other bands' style, which is more polished than the former. Additionally, when I walked into Dourado's Golden Jack Studios with the intention of "recording raw"...He did not accept, and managed to persuade me to try something more modern. The same happened with the drums, which I expected to have programmed, yet Dourado refused to let that happen and offered to record the drums himself.
Concerning the final product, I suppose it's a rather melodic form of extreme metal, with an undeniable influence of Black Metal, my favourite genre. The album has been considered "atmospheric" and "progressive" by reviewers, labels that I am happy to accept. I am a musician and composer, but can't say I'm a better metal connoisseur than reviewers, so I hold their labeling skills on higher regard than mine.
Although heavy, you can expect some clean vocals and solos more akin to heavy and power metal. This ties to the very concept of the album: it's the telling of a story, and a story isn't ought to be all gloom and darkness.
3.A lot of your lyrics cover Pagan themes, what are some of the forms of paganism and mythology you covered with your lyrics?
A: Although I wouldn't consider "paganism" the main theme of my lyrics, there are clear pagan elements, particularly centered around the figure of Woden. I chose the spelling of "Woden" as opposed to "Odin" or "Wotan" as I saw more fitting to use the Anglo-saxon designation for the god, given that the lyrics were written in the English language. I do suppose Odin would have been fine too, but I associate that name more with the tradition of the Eddas, while I had the Wagnerian "Wotan" in mind for this story.
Woden is appears in four songs as a character, yet two other characters have ties to him: the "Knights of Woden", which are a (fictional) group of pagan knights inspired by the Einherjar (the dead warriors of Valhalla); and the main character, Beornand, who is one of the very last believers in Woden in this medieval setting.
Finally, the structure of the tale itself could be considered pagan, as it is Greek-style tragedy. Ancient Greco-Roman literature has an inescapable influence in my writing.
4.You also cover The Holy Grail, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?
A: The Grail has fascinated me as far as I can remember. On one hand, the medieval legend of the Grail is undeniably Christian. Yet, on the other, we can trace archetypal elements of that legend back to pagan myth. Take, for instance, the cauldron of the Dagda, chief among Celtic gods, or the the Norse "Mead of Poetry", which was brewed of the blood of a divine being, Kvasir, similarly to how the Grail bore the blood of Christ. In each instance, drinking from such vessel brought upon supernatural consequences beyond human comprehension.
The way I see it, the legend of the Grail imbued medieval Christianity, a foreign religion, with a peculiarly European spirit. The chivalrous tales of Parsifal, Gawain, Arthur (...) and their wondrous pursuit of the Holy Grail were a distant echo of an ancestral heroic archetype present in the European Volksgeist, as Savigny would put it, yet from a Jungian perspective. A kind of tale where the knight replaces the saint as the paragon of virtue.
This mythos of the Holy Grail is, perhaps, a faint synthesis between Paganism and Christianity, with both sides bound to eternally fight for its ownership. It is precisely that debate that I sought to capture in my story, with both the Pagan Woden and the Christian Amfortas (literally) fighting for the ownership of the Grail in the last song, "Longinus and Gungnir".
5.On the facebook page you also mentioned one of the projects main interests is history, which aspects of history do you study the most?
A: My enjoyment of History is no secret for those who know me. I am particularly drawn to Pre-History, Classical Antiquity, and the Dark Ages, that is, the period between the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the beginning of the High Middle Ages. This is precisely the period wherein the story of "Night of the Grail" takes place. The same time legend purportedly places the reign of King Arthur over Camelot, and when the very last remnants of Paganism still survived.
For the time being, Spellsword will be a project inseparable from History. I already have the drafted two more stories for upcoming releases, with one being a sequel to "Night of the Grail", and the other taking place in the Levant and centered around the presence of the Knights Templar in that region.
6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Spellsword'?
A: Spellsword is a simple, memorable name. That in itself was enough reason to choose it. However, there are two more elements to it. Firstly, it is a shoutout to my affinity for High Fantasy, be it in the form of literature (such as Lord of the Rings) or video games (such as Dark Souls). Secondly, in storyline of each release, a supernatural sword will be featured, a "spellsword", if you will. In this case, there were two: Stjarnablóm, given to the hero Beornand by Woden, and Caladbolg, carried by the knight Anselm.
7.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
A: The artwork, a master piece by Khaos Diktator Design, portrays the aftermath of this album story. It shows the uncorrupted body of a fallen knight holding the Holy Grail, with the statues of both Woden and Amfortas on each side (right and left, respectively). Its epic yet dark and slightly hazy art style seeks to invoke the wonder conveyed by a haunting image from a dream.
8.With the exception of a session drummer you record most of the music by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to work solo?
A: That was indeed the case. As talented as they are, I sought to rely as little as possible on the bandmates from my other projects. I initially planned to use programmed drums, yet, as said above, João Dourado did not allow it in his studio and offered to record the drums himself. Knowing how well Dourado plays, this is an offer one can't refuse. Dourado also "materialized" the orchestral intro to the first song based on my composition. Although he is not technically a member of Spellsword, his invaluable role cannot be understated.
As for the rest, it was all my doing. I quite enjoyed the uncompromising freedom of composing these songs alone, and I expect to keep Spellsword a solo project for this reason. I cannot say, however, that I am totally closed to the idea of assimilating other musicians in the future, especially if Spellsword is to ever play live, in which case these musicians will probably be the bandmates of my other bands. Regardless of that, I expect to always remain the main songwriter behind Spellsword, with the songs revolving around my stories.
9.The new album is coming out on 'Nox Liberatio Records', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
A: Nox Liberatio Records is the label of Filipe Gomes, a friend and band mate from Existence:Void. It is a smaller yet selective label from Portugal. I have worked with Nox Liberatio Records before, for the release of Existence:Void's "Anatman". Given that this is Spellsword's first release, I preferred to collaborate with those I know and trust.
10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?
A: Surprisingly good, from the most casual music listeners to the truest of Black Metal zealots. "Night of the Grail" has been spoken about in European pages, but I was also glad to see Spellsword especially noticed by Latin American metal fans. An Indonesian announcement of this release was particularly surprising.
I am optimistic about the reception of this album, yet, being a first release from an unknown band, I do not expect it to reach as many people as I would like it to. Perhaps I will be proven wrong once the release happens. But I am aware of my promotional limitations.
11.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future?
A: I expect more releases. Perhaps EPs, perhaps more full-length albums, perhaps singles purely distributed online. Spellsword will likely remain a studio-centric project. As for me as a musician, I have been more and more drawn to more "acoustic" genres of music, having already written songs and planning to release them, though not under Spellsword. Regardless of that, I am adamant on sharing more of my stories in a metallic form.
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?
A: Both Black Metal and Symphonic Metal projects were central to my youth. Bands like Deathspell Omega, Blut Aus Nord, Darkthrone and Satyricon for the former, Sirenia, Nightwish and Arcturus for the latter, and Dimmu Borgir plus Cradle of Filth for an in-between. The soundtracks of films (John Williams, Hans Zimmer, Howard Shore) and video games (Nobuo Uematsu, Motoi Sakuraba, Toshihiko Horiyama) also had an undeniable role in shaping the way I approach composition.
I have not been listening to metal lately, if I might be honest. I have been listening to Polyphia and bands in the same vein, as well as other guitar-centric musicians such as Andy McKee. Nevertheless, I am always overjoyed to find a new metal project that is to my liking. Batushka was the last instance of this happening.
13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
A: When listening to Spellsword, do not neglect the lyrics. The music itself was composed around them in a cinematographic manner. You will have the intended authentic experience that way.
Thank you for the chance to share my words.
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