greyfleshtethered Interview

 

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

 greyfleshtethered (which I often abbreviate to just 'GFT’) is effectively a response to what I see as a far-reaching stagnation in one of my all-time favorite genres. Black metal was one of my first & most enthralling musical loves; something about that dismal, unrefined atmospheric sound pulled me in at a young age and refused to let go. As a socially inept (and deeply closeted) middle schooler at the time, I embraced the frigid misanthropic hug that black metal offered because it spoke to a truer version of myself, a version I believed not many others saw or could understand. Flash forward to today and that love has still stuck by, albeit with some newly added social context and awareness of self. Though for all of that passion, I've long since felt that black metal has been overdue for a reinvention of some kind. There are so many exceptionally cool musicians doing exactly that and I cherish those experimentations with style dearly but I think I personally wanted to see a brand of black metal that integrated some of my personal favorite electronic music styles that I rarely see representation of in metal at all. In 2019 when GFT was born from the ashes of my last long-term music project, I figured I may as well be the change I wanted to see in the world.

 2. Can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on your recordings so far?

 For any given song I put together, I try to start with a bedrock foundation of black metal/some metal subgenre and then do my best to shoehorn in as many types of electronic styles as I can (to mixed levels of success). Usually with each individual song, I'll have an intrusive thought like "has anybody combined drum & bass and black metal?" or "what if Wolves In The Throne Room used breakbeat samples?" and then just kind of go from there. Going in with that mindset, I felt I had to accept on some level that this is music I’m making largely for myself. It was easy to assume initially that there wasn't much overlap in black metal and weird electronic/club music fans but I'm happy to say that I've been proven very much wrong on that front. 

3. What are some of the themes and images you have brought out into your music so far? 

My debut album ‘The Dark Being’ is a musical homage to the 1996 PC game Lighthouse: The Dark Being and as a whole is an extension of the previously mentioned "I bet nobody's done this before" attitude. For anyone unfamiliar, Lighthouse: The Dark Being is a point-and-click sci-fi/adventure game very similar in style to Myst. Much like Myst, Lighthouse follows the protagonist across different universes in gameplay (through the mundanity of a seaside town to the fantastic wonder of a temple filled with ancient machines) and it was my goal to capture the feeling of a fantastic journey in music form. It was a fun idea to pursue and I'm proud of the work I did on that album, but ultimately I didn't really want to be remembered as a 'video game musician' (not to say there’s anything wrong with that, it’s just not my path). For my more recent recordings I've been focusing more on anti-fascist themes, as well as my own personal relationship with identity and the inherent struggles of navigating self authentically under the crushing boot of capitalism and fascism and misogyny. Once I burn out on all that though, I may find myself returning to the fantastical nature of The Dark Being after long. 

4. So far most of the music has been instrumental, are you open to using vocals in the future?

 Absolutely! The unfortunate problem is that I'm not a vocalist and haven’t ever set aside time to seriously train my voice (truthfully it’s something I’ve always felt very self-conscious about). Also I grew up with primarily instrumental music and never really paid much attention to lyrics, so it’s always felt natural to lean that way in my own music. That said though, it can be tough putting together some pummeling riffs & beats and not fantasize about an overlay of wretched, distorted screams tearing through the mix. My next album (Primordial Decay, due to be released in the spring of 2024) marks the first time I've had the pleasure of collaborating with some extremely talented metal vocalists who have brought a whole new life to this project and I'm excited to finally show the world what we’ve created together! 

5. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'greyfleshtethered'?

 Truthfully I wish I picked a different name for this project, it ended up being the product of a time crunch to get my first song out. A synthy MIDI black metal artist with a decent online following (‘winterquilt’) posted some remix stems in late 2019 for an upcoming remix album, I was already recording for The Dark Being by that point and saw it as a potentially good opportunity to promote my music and get my name out there. The problem was that I didn't actually have a name yet though, and as the remix submission date loomed ever closer I kept anxiously procrastinating the task of name creation. Finally one day I sat down and brainstormed a bunch of ideas and 'greyfleshtethered' was what came out of it, and after that I just stuck with it because I didn't want to think about it anymore. For me, 'greyfleshtethered' was an allusion to the struggles I was facing at the time of living as a closeted trans woman, and how I felt bound to this alien skin that was not my own but was something I couldn't seem to shed. Echoes from those sentiments still resonate with me to even living as the most authentic version of myself I can muster, but I do sometimes wish I had spent some time making a new name earlier on when I didn't feel so locked into it (especially now that I have an insanely badass logo for GFT thanks to the hugely talented artist Sludgework). I’ve felt it especially when playing live and hearing other artists on the bill stumble over my name, and honestly? I can't blame anyone for that, it’s a mouthful.

 6. Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the full length album cover?

 As previously mentioned, the album's a tribute to the game Lighthouse: The Dark Being, and naturally an album cover that at least featured a lighthouse seemed the most fitting choice. I tried to emulate that high contrast black & white vibe that lots of traditional black metal album covers popularized. Snow covered trees besides the lighthouse was another immediate instinct of mine, even though truthfully (in the strict context of the game) that addition didn't really make a whole lot of sense, but I've always been a huge sucker for snow covered trees. I worked closely with my good friends Kieran and Kirk (the latter of whom has effectively assumed the role of graphic design manager for GFT at this point) on the cover as well as additional artwork used for the upcoming tape release and I couldn't be happier with the results. 

7. With this project you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to work solo?

 In true black metal fashion, I've always gravitated towards solo work. Not having many close friendships growing up and listening to niche music that none of my peers could relate to, I didn't really even consider the idea of collaborating on music much until I was in college. I've always needed vocals though, and that need has driven my desire for collaboration. Sometimes I wonder if GFT would benefit with more permanent members but then other times I feel fairly confident that I wouldn't succeed in a band context because of my own limitations so at this point I just try to go with whatever the current flow is. 

8. Fiadh Productions are also releasing your full length on physical form, can you tell us a little bit more about the newer version? 

This version is very similar to the original release, except that it features an extra special bonus track! After the album was published initially, I had the idea to record a bonus acoustic track (titled 'Home Sweet Home') that featured reimagined melodies/chord progressions from each of the 4 other tracks. That idea took on a life of its own and at this point I’m not sure I can really call it 'acoustic' in good faith but I felt proud of it and patiently awaited the day when The Dark Being might see a physical release so I could finally unveil this final chapter of the album. Which is why when Fiadh Prod approached me about a tape release for the album, I felt emotionally floored. Due to constraints in the medium, I did have to make some choice cuts to the third and fourth tracks in order to fit the bonus song on but as far as I'm concerned the body of the album very much remains intact. 

9. On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your recordings by fans of black metal and electronic music?

 In all truth, I'm still trying to get GFT off the ground and start netting a wider audience, so it feels tough to speak on a 'worldwide' level at this point. I'm also too cheap (and principled at this point) to pay for Bandcamp Pro so I can see my geographical stats but I can remember a time with my last long-term music project where you could view those stats on a regular account and after a netlabel picked up one of my early albums it was fascinating to watch people from all over the globe download/listen to it. One of my favorite things about underground/independent music (but especially with black metal) is finding a project on the other side of the world that you listen to and, in the process, form a unique connection with another human being because of their artistry & creativity. I just really hope that somebody else out there far away can share in that connection with the music I've put my heart into. 

10. Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future? 

That's a really good question that I'm facing a surprising amount of difficulty in answering. Stylistically there are a few things I'd like to learn/experiment with in the future, but with a new album on the way and a split coming out around the same time I have a feeling I might want to take a break from writing music for a short while after the dust settles on new releases this year. Ultimately though, I would love to play more live shows and to have more of my music released on physical media. Two of my biggest fantasies growing up as a nerdy little black metal shut-in was to have music I made put on tape & published by a record label and also be interviewed by a music journalist/zine, so it's been quite wild to have both of those fantasies actualized in the same year. 

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?

 When I first started listening to black metal, I was big big BIG into frigid ambient black metal and winter synth/black ambient; artists like Neige et Noirceur, Forgotten Land, Paysage d'Hiver/Darkspace, Vinterriket, and Xasthur were among the most influential for me growing up. I'd also give a special shoutout to Skagos and their phenomenal album “Ást” which helped fundamentally shape my understanding of black metal. Nowadays I find myself not quite as exploratory with the genre as I used to be but only because that time is spent delving into new types of music I might not have touched as a kid. Some of my favorite black metal acts from recent years include Woe Bather, Arkhtinn, Diva Karr, Mare Cognitum, Fluisteraars, and Bury Them and Keep Quiet. At this point I find myself most influenced by other musicians who combine heavy hitting metal & electronic music, most notably I think of Bríi, Igorrr, Phuture Doom, Drumcorps, KFC Murder Chicks, and Cara Neir (and most cybergrind for that matter). 

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

 Fuck nazis, fuck terfs, and fuck the fascist edgelord losers that believe black metal is about spreading hate & bigotry. If you welcome that philosophy, keep your eyes peeled this year for new GFT material, including a split filled with lo-fi wintry ambient black metal

https://linktr.ee/greyfleshtethered