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1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
1. Since the recording of the album, we have had our busiest year yet as a live band, playing the biggest shows of our career so far, supporting the likes of Bolzer and playing Fortress and Incineration fest among others. Sharpening our live performances to deliver the album with suitable intensity was our main goal for this year, it has been achieved. Behind the scenes, large amounts of new music has also been written, expanding on the ideas contained within our upcoming release.
2.You have a new album coming out in 2024, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
2. In comparison to the previous 2 releases, this album is much more refined musical work, owed both to the heightened experience as both players and songwriters, but also to the devotion with which these songs were crafted, featuring more intricate ideas, details and additional layers of instrumentation.
3.All of the band members also have experience playing in other bands, what is it that you bring into the music of 'Andracca' that you have not been able to do with your previous groups?
3. For myself, Andracca was the first project I participated in, let alone started, so this project very much feels like home to me. That being said, one of my main motivations for playing in/filling in for Insurgency, Volniir, Trivax etc was to become more deeply acquainted with black metal in its various guises, and more fully understand the energy that drives it. This enhanced understanding has been fully incorporated into my writing processes as well as our live performances to great effect.
As for our other members, our drummer, L.FOG, had not played with a black metal band before joining us, having more experience in punk and thrash bands, so the main difference would be a great increase in the amount of blast beats demanded. On the live front L. has injected our shows with a ferocity and tightness far exceeding previous efforts.
P.BND also plays bass in Insurgency, a frantic and relentless black thrash band. Whilst both bands offer aggression and speed, P. has been able to bring more melodic bass patterns to Andracca, adding breadth and depth to our music.
K.VKS has played in both black and death metal bands in the past, but with the way we approach live performances with Andracca, he has been able to bring out harmonies and supporting melodies that were previously missing from our stage shows when I was the solo guitarist on stage. This has massively enhanced the accuracy of the live shows when compared to our studio recordings.
4.The lyrics on the new album cover a lot of existential themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?
4. I became unwittingly absorbed in questions of life and death when half a dozen family members all died sudden and unexpected deaths over a short few years, affecting family as young as 32. This radically changed my appreciation for time and the agency with which we are gifted in our own lives. This is all too often squandered for myriad reasons, comfort, practicality, cowardice, apathy or simply a lack of focus on our inevitable end. What may initially appear as a morbid curiosity, is in reality the opposite. Death gives the gift of a life that demands to be lived well and in accordance with one's true Will. Identify this Will and pursue it relentlessly and unapologetically.
5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Andracca'?
5. The band's name is a Middle English translation of "Ancalagon", the largest dragon in the Tolkien universe. Whilst the band initial focussed lyrically on this universe, in recent years this dragon has taken on a more symbolic nature. Andracca contains all of the horrifying aspects of life with which we must contend with if we are to live well.
6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
6. The artwork for album was kindly provided by Khaos Diktator artwork, who took time to fully appreciate the motivations behind its creation and posed a number of further questions to our initial commission to grasp what we wanted. I highlighted certain lyrical passages and left the visual representation to him. I will also leave the interpretation of the result to the reader.
7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
7. Our finest performance as a band thus far is likely our show in Glasgow in August of this year. This show features in the music video for our single, Oceans of Fire, and captured the intensity we always strive to deliver on stage. The crowd in Glasgow is particularly ravenous, that heightened energy took that show to another level for us. A number of tracks for the upcoming album have featured in our sets this year and always bring an overwhelming cathartic element to the performance, and demand an intensity that fantastical themes cannot grasp. If I were to describe our shows in a single word, it would be Sincere.
8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
8. Our album launch show will take place on the 17th of February in Manchester alongside a number of other very exciting album sets from a number of close friends, most of which on the Reaper Agency roster, who are hosting the show. As for tours, yes there are plans, details will follow in due time.
9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?
9. Since 2018 we've shipped orders to roughly 15 countries around the world, as far reaching as Japan. We regularly receive support from fans around Europe, the US and parts of Asia, so it certainly seems to be appreciated by those it reaches. We highly anticipate increasing that reach with our new album and playing shows ever further afield. We are just getting started.
10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
10. As mentioned previously, since completing this album, vast amounts of demo material has been written, exploring a range of new sounds and techniques. The most recent material features a more seamless mixing of both melodic and dissonant devices, a range of tempos and time signatures, all ultimately leading to a more brooding and uneasy atmosphere that accompanies the aggression to be found on our upcoming release.
11.What are some of the bands or musical styles the band members are currently listening to nowadays?
11. For myself, gratuitous amounts of Icelandic black metal alongside obscene amounts of Judas Priest and all related old school heavy metal. Our other members often listen to a lot of Prog such as Rush, Imperial Triumphant etc, both new and modern black metal and a lot of classic rock too.
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
12. Do not assume you have time. Allow yourself to Suffer.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Andraccaband
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andracca/
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