Winterfylleth are one of the most recognizable names in UK Black Metal today and have done that by being true to their roots in the United Kingdom. Their new album The Imperious Horizon is out September 13th on Candlelight Records and follows 2020’s the Reckoning Dawn. For the first time ever the band was not able to deliver on their internal promise to bring about new music every 2 years or so – due, like many other things, to the state of the globe in 2020, forcing the band to stand pat while the world attempted to heal.
I spoke to drummer Simon Lucas and received a lengthy history of the band and how they are connected to their homeland so well, even feeling as though they have become scholarly in their historic knowledge of the land. We also discuss the guest appearance of Primordial’s A.A. Nemtheanga on “In Silent Grace” and how intertwined Winterfylleth and Primordial feel due to their alignments to particular parts of the British Isles and just how the United Kingdom is prone to black metal beyond the genre’s genesis in the 1980s. We also discussed the possibility of live dates and the breathtaking photograph that became the album’s cover.
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What was the transition process from The Reckoning Dawn like to The Imperious Horizon?
Simon Lucas: We started writing material for the album around a year before recording. However, there are certain tracks, such as “Upon This Shore” and “In Silent Grace” where the initial ideas had been floating around for a number of years. They just needed the right time and inspiration to form into the pieces of music that they have now become. Sometimes a track will manifest itself relatively quickly, but sometimes you can’t force, and certain ideas take much longer to reach their zenith.
We felt somewhat frustrated with the process around The Reckoning Dawn because we poured so much effort into writing what we felt was such a strong body of music, for it to be impacted (as everyone else was), by the Pandemic. The album was set for release in the spring of 2020, just as we were plunged into those first series of lockdowns. This meant that all our plans to support the record immediately after its release couldn’t happen. What it did mean however was that people had much more time at home, listening to music.
We have kept a conscious consistency in always releasing a full-length album every two years, but this is the first time we have had a gap of over 4 years between albums. We wanted to have the best chance to air the material from The Reckoning Dawn live, and we were not able to start getting out and performing shows in support of that record until the summer of 2021. With this in mind, we deliberately restrained ourselves from writing a new record until we’d toured both the UK and Europe for The Reckoning Dawn. We started writing The Imperious Horizon properly after returning home from a two-week tour of Europe with Gaahl’s Wyrd at the end of 2022. When we felt the material was refined and completed, in the Autumn of 2023 we ventured into the remote hills of mid-Wales to Foel Studios, a place in which we have recorded many times in the past to track the record with our long-time producer and collaborator Chris Fielding.
There is very much “a Winterfylleth sound” and we try to keep a sense of that in mind when creating new albums. It’s really important to us and I would certainly say that this album reaches new heights in terms of attaining a sense of the epic or atmospheric qualities with our music, aiming very much for the mountain tops so to speak. As ever there is a strong emotive thread in the music which is always there and we try to accentuate that wherever we can. There are a few surprises here and there however – one track, ‘To the Edge of Tyranny’ in particular is the shortest, most direct and aggressive sounding track we’ve done in some time I’d say.
What is the British black metal scene like? Historically and/or today?
Looking back to the UK Black Metal scene when Chris and I first formed Winterfylleth back in 2006, this would have been a very short response. But as I sit here in 2024, things have changed over the last 20 years dramatically. There has been a huge upturn in the amount of quality bands coming from this country since then.
Considering Black Metal at a global level, I think it’s fair to say that the UK was a late bloomer in terms of its bands generating a unique and ‘worthy’ output within the genre. Certainly, I think it was a long time after the genre’s inception before the UK was seen as a credible place from which BM could arise. Skirting over the fact that aside from the genre essentially starting in the UK with Venom and their classic albums, about a decade later there were a few bigger bands from the mid/late 90’s scene (like Cradle of Filth, Bal Sagoth & Hecate Enthroned) but to me, I don’t think these bands ever considered themselves to be defined in a distinctive style that would be described as “UK Black Metal” as such. At least not in the way I would consider it these days. Even bands like Old Forest and Ashes who were notable before the mid-2000’s never really staked any large international claim around being “UK Black Metal” like it has come to mean post 2006.
There was definitely a notable lack of Black Metal bands from the UK in that 1995-2005 time span, and while there were lots of distros and zines pushing Black Metal in those years, it feasibly wasn’t resonating as much with all of the UK scene at that time. But this is also true of the wider black metal scene around even Scandinavia and Mainland Europe at the time. Even key UK labels like Candlelight Records were not releasing much Black Metal (and certainly none from the UK) across that time period. So, it is obviously telling that after the mid/late-90’s there was a void of this kind of output from the UK, and no doubt elsewhere, for similar reasons.
By the time that we arrived in 2006, when we began discussions for the band that would become Winterfylleth, there were only a handful of other BM bands from the UK doing anything noteworthy alongside us. But what they/we were doing felt important and new, so in some ways I would consider that group of bands to be the most important ones in this regard. Particularly as they were the ones who managed to propel Black Metal from the British Isles into the International Scene for the first time as a more cohesive idea/scene/movement since the mid-90’s. When I think about bands alongside Winterfylleth that were making an impact during that era – bands like Wodensthrone, Fen, Saor (but in earlier incarnations) and A Forest of Stars immediately come to mind; artists who, for me, formulated an initial ‘core’ of UK bands making waves with Black Metal music. It was also people like Darren Toms at Candlelight Records who started to give many of these bands, ourselves included, a platform and well-established label to get our music out to the world in a more meaningful way. As, even in this period, we were still in the throes of zines, forums and message boards, while things like social media were very new and not what they are today.
There were obviously other UK bands that came along around that time as well. Great bands like Skaldic Curse, Iceni, Niroth, Eibon la Furies, Cnoc An Tursa, Imperial Vengeance, The Meads of Asphodel and others who were around for a short while. Although except for Skaldic Curse & The Meads of Asphodel, not many of the others lasted very long, as far as I know.
Equally, bands like Forefather had already made a big splash in the global scene, as had bands like Anaal Nathrakh, The Axis of Perdition, Code and Akercocke but when I think of those bands I enter into discussions of ‘are they actually Black Metal or Death Metal or Black/Death Metal, or Heavy Metal or Avant-garde metal’ etc. So again, while I see them all as important exports of Extreme British Music I feel they were less “UK Black Metal” and more just extreme – and often progressive – UK bands in their own ways.
As we get to the current era, I’ve always believed that a rising tide raises all ships, and so while I’m sure there is a healthy competition between bands, we have always done our best to help those that have come after us to get ahead. In just the last few years there have been many great bands coming through from the UK scene, with strong new albums – again, largely supported by the likes of Darren & Candlelight Records, and to some extent by Chris (Winterfylleth Vocals & Guitars) also doing A&R for them. Perhaps it naturally comes full circle in a way after being involved in this for 20 years or more. We now have bands like Abduction, Ninkharsag, Wode, Fellwarden, Trivax and Necronautical for example all starting to move outside of our shores, bringing the next wave of British Black Metal to Europe and beyond.
What makes the British Isles so prone to the black metal sounds that are normally reserved to more arctic areas?
There is a connection to the landscape and cultural history of our island, and within that (certainly for us), a connection to that ‘spirit of place’ that is akin to our Scandinavian counterparts. I don’t think it should be that much of a surprise that the black metal sound made famous in Scandinavia comes naturally to us here in Britain as our cultures and people have always been aligned going back over millennia. With that, I think that we have our own unique sound and identity within black metal that is representative of where we are from.
The history of heavy metal itself, alongside black metal, is rooted right here in Britain. Whether it’s Black Sabbath and Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Motorhead and of course, as I mentioned more importantly for black metal; Venom in the North East, the roots and ‘source’ of the genre is right here in the U.K. When we look back at the history of similar music in England, the early 90’s death-doom scene focused around the north of England nearby to the home of Winterfylleth. That made famous by the likes of Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride and Anathema, who were inspired by the bleak and vast moorland and upland landscapes of the north – alongside the world famous literary history connected to that landscape, and to quote William Blake “the dark satanic mills” of the valleys that crisscross that moorland.
What major themes in particular do you plan to highlight with this new record? Are you treading similar ground or have you scorched the earth?
We’re in a strange territory right now in 2024. The title itself is about the idea of there being some kind of sneering, arrogant and calculated agenda bubbling away beyond the horizon, shrouded in mist. Somehow that agenda sits within the fog of deceit and is aimed at the detriment of humanity and its personal freedoms. The lyrics and concept are somewhat of a rumination on the state of the world and of this idea that we as people are often treated like pawns in a global game of profit and loss; rather than as sovereign beings in control of their own destiny. The lyrical concepts try to address some of that in as stylish and befitting a way as is possible within the context of visceral and sweeping black metal music. To convey this, Chris adapted poems from our literary history such as ‘The Kings Death’ by Alexander Frome written in 1648, which inspired the track “Dishonour Enthroned”. “Upon This Shore” has references and excerpts of poetry from Book VI by Edmund Spenser, written in 1590.
To put some meat on the bones of that… I feel like there is a sense among people in the world, (and certainly within my own mentality) that “something” big, or impactful is coming. There is a looming dread on the collective consciousness that feels palpable in many parts of the world. Consider the UK government in recent months, for example. They have been dog-whistling ideas of a national service program for 18-21 year olds. It certainly gets the cogs whirring about potentially planning for a war on the horizon. With many conflicts already active on the world stage it’s not a big leap to think that ‘something’ could trigger war for Europe again. It will only be the regular people who pay the price for that power struggle going on, and it most certainly won’t be their choice to get dragged into it. As Harry Patch once said, “War is nothing more than mass murder. Give the politicians the guns and settle their differences themselves.”
That is just one thing, and there are certainly many others across all aspects of life. Corporate greed driving cost of living crises for millions of families. This alarming idea of digital only currencies & a future that could end up turning into some kind of surveillance society. The further privatization of socialized wellbeing systems to the detriment of public health. Private corporations controlling the agenda for public policy making (and not the elected officials who are meant to do so). This is before we get to the duplicity and cronyism within the currently elected officials in control of many nations. It’s shocking, and the list goes on. Then, all the time, the public narrative is bombarded with press/PR/news/print, planting the seeds of ‘what might be to come’ on all these fronts. It certainly doesn’t feel like we are heading towards a freer future, unless we take more control of it as people. It can feel quite bleak if you consider the wider social landscape we could find ourselves living in. All these kinds of topics play on many of our minds, and we have tried to tackle some of them in the songs we have made on this album.
What was it like working with AA Nemtheanga from Primordial on “In Silent Grace”?
We have been friends with Alan and the other guys in Primordial for a long while now. We’ve played many shows/tours together over the years, and even performed with many of the bands associated side-projects, such as Dread Sovereign who joined us on our previous album tour for The Reckoning Dawn. So, in many ways, our history was already there for when we were thinking about collaborating on the track ‘In Silent Grace’. Primordial have always been a really important band for us for decades now.
Considering Primordial’s discography, Alan’s incredible vocal performances on tracks like ‘The Coffin Ships’, ‘Empire Falls’ or ‘As Rome Burns’ convey such a palpable sense of emotion, passion and raw feeling within them, that they are unlike anything else. They’re a very unique band, with such a unique identity. Hearing a song like ‘The Coffin Ships’ live in Dublin itself, you can almost feel the pain of the Irish people in that song, and what they went through during the famine. In this way, the band, and Alan have cemented themselves as important storytellers and creators of emotional and meaningful music within the wider world. A band who draw people into what they are talking about, and who have been able to maintain that attention for 30+ years.
We actually began creating ideas for ‘In Silent Grace’ during the writing session of our previous album “The Reckoning Dawn” but was never completed at the time. Coming back to it with fresh ears whilst writing material for The Imperious Horizon we found the right direction for the track and were able to refine the ideas and craft it into a slower, emotive and more building track than the other, faster tracks on the album. We started improvising melody lines for the vocal part, and almost immediately we could envisage Alan delivering those parts. Chris and Mark are both fantastic vocalists in their own right but there is a gravel and timbre to Alan’s voice that is unique and adds a gravitas to clean vocals being delivered in the way the track needed. So, as we are friends, we figured we’d ask Alan if he’d like to be involved and he agreed.
He flew over to Manchester after we had finished tracking the main body of the album, and spent a few days with us at our friend Mark Mynett’s (My Dying Bride, Rotting Christ etc) studio recording his vocals. The track is a huge, emotional and yearning track that seeks to find meaning in a world where many sources of comfort and joy have been eroded. It searches for a better place. One of solace and of repose, but it is set against a landscape of decay and upheaval. A place many of us find ourselves in within the modern world. When you hear Alan’s voice, singing the lyrics on this, I believe you will feel these things too, and understand why this collaboration was an essential addition to the album.
Where was the album’s cover art taken from and why?
The album cover is of a snow-capped mountain called Seceda, which is in the Dolomites range. It is a photograph taken by a fantastic landscape artist called Josh Bagshawe from the UK. It very much captures some of the icier tones of the music on ‘The Imperious Horizon’, but also displays a striking, yet imposing mist shrouded peak and horizon. Those features tie into this idea of there being ‘something at play’, behind the mist. That was the thought process behind the artwork anyway. Usually in the past we have used purely artwork portraying the landscapes of our beloved northern Britain, the landscapes of our home. But we felt that the themes present on this album are far more universal, therefore we felt it appropriate to portray an image from further afield in Europe from the Dolomites mountain range. Previously we have used an image that I photographed deep in the Alps for the cover art of The Dark Hereafter. This photograph was taken whilst staying in Austria performing at the incredible Funkenflug/Houses of the Holy festival high up in the mountains celebrating the Summer Solstice in Austria, so we’re not always restricted to using purely Albionic landscapes for our artwork.
Where did Winterfylleth’s inspiration come from as a band either individually or collectively?
In our early correspondence Chris and I had discussed creating a new vision of British Black Metal, which we felt at the time was essentially non-existent. So, it often felt like we were a part of something new for the UK when we began our activities in Winterfylleth. When we were first discussing concepts for Winterfylleth’s musical and lyrical themes, we were quite clear that we wanted to create something inspired by the landscapes, mythology, and history of the British Isles that we were not only fascinated by, but also mean so much to us, and we feel so connected to.
Within the Winterfylleth albums there will always be a use of those sources of inspiration, as they are rich, and often unknown to many people in the world. Particularly the English/British/Celtic versions of various mythologies. To me, there were – and maybe still are – so many bands from across the globe performing versions of the Norse/Scandinavian mythology in their music that we wanted to channel something different within our own albums. Due to widespread overuse, the Norse/Scandinavian mythology can either come across in a very sincere and evocative way, or in a painfully insincere & cartoonish way, like a parody.
So, when it comes to this album (and others we’ve made in Winterfylleth) we knew we had to try and reference something with more connection to us as people in the music. We chose to initially base the bands’ lyrical themes on native mythologies and folk stories from our islands, and in doing so became unknowing scholars of a lot of those early writings and poems. I think we have learned to interpret and put across the ideas in those writings, and others, more stylishly over the years. As we were often misinterpreted in the early days of the band, and we don’t want that to continue to be the case.
As a result, we have latterly tried to be more pointed about how we use the lyrical themes to discuss where the modern world frames against the ancient world, and in what ways we are still the subjects of power struggles, war, and empire, despite believing we are more enlightened in the current age.
All these things are included in the themes of The Imperious Horizon, in a direct or indirect way, and stack up to the idea of their being a troubling and imperious set of ideas hiding over the horizon that will affect us all at some point. I would encourage your readers to investigate the lyrics for themselves and to try and derive meaning from them as best they can.
How is it that you are able to convey such wide-ranging atmosphere and emotion through your music?
We set out to create music that causes listeners to feel a visceral and physical reaction to the passages they’re absorbing. Music that quite literally resonates to that place beyond the mind, direct to the soul. That’s extremely important to us. I guess the sense of melancholy & yearning present within the music is perhaps a reflection of those aspects of the world that I’ve discussed earlier in the interview, coming through in the music. There are always positives in the world, and we need to focus on those to some extent. But, equally there are also many worrying and negative things occurring around us – all the time – that precipitate a need to yearn for more, or for better. So, I guess, either directly or indirectly, that all frames in the album we have made and the landscapes we try to create in the songs.
For me, black metal has to be “authentic”. By that I mean, Black Metal is style of music that lives or dies based on its emotions. When I see or listen to a band, I have to fully believe that the themes and intent portrayed by those musicians are completely sincere and that they are devoted to the ideas that they are conveying in their music or performance. Let’s be completely honest, there are those who claim to be black metal musicians that this is absolutely not the case, and generally I think people see through a lack of sincerity and authenticity pretty quickly.
Those sincere feelings (no matter what they represent emotively), must always be present in the musical output in order for it to connect with me. I think we have always tried to put across a deep sense of feeling in the music we make as Winterfylleth, otherwise it would be meaningless. People connect to things emotionally in order to derive meaning from them, and so it is with music as well. It won’t make any lasting impact if it has something to say, but the musical delivery of that is weak or flat.
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With your video for “Dishonour Enthroned” were you trying to push for what a live experience with the band was like? What was the filming process for it like?
I think we’ve always shied away from making music videos in the past because quite frankly there are a lot of bad and cheap music videos out there, in both black metal and other genres. I am actually a Director of Photography in my day job though so I analyze a lot of music videos fairly critically, as they’re usually made with little to no budget on equipment that isn’t the best visually speaking. That said, we knew we needed to make a music video for this album, and we wanted to keep it as simple as possible whilst still retaining a bleak and contrasty feel coupled with vast sweeping landscapes.
For the video we enlisted the help of Killian Monson, an amazing visual artist who has worked on music videos for Primordial and Sigh. We had the idea of just shooting the band performing the song straight to the camera completely backlit with a black background to enhance the contrast, but then to use Killian’s excellent eye for special effects to put sweeping landscapes over the top of the performance footage and we’re really pleased with the results. We used a large studio space near our rehearsal space in a large old Victorian mill in the North West to film the footage. We also combined the shoot day with shooting new line up photographs for the new record, as we have the new addition of Russell Dobson (also of the band Necronautical), having joined and contributed towards the writing on this album.
We enlisted Lee Barrett to take the photographs, who for those with an eye for the history of black metal in England is a legendary character responsible for originally signing the likes of Emperor to Candlelight Records back in the early 90’s. He also happens to be an incredible photographer with some amazing visual ideas, so Lee also helped out with the video.
“Dishonour Enthroned” was a ‘dark horse’ during the writing sessions for this album but I think it’s a good representation of the sound of the album as a whole – a barrage of relentless speed and tremolo riffing yet still very melodic and builds to great epic climax. As I mentioned earlier lyrically it is inspired by a poem called “The Kings Death” by Alexander Brome, a 17th century poet who was known for his satirical stance towards government and power.
What are your plans for the rest of 2024, including any live dates?
We have 3 in-store album release events planned at 3 superb heavy metal record shops around the UK, Dark Earth Records on the 12th September, Raven Records on the 13th September and Black City Records on 21st September. We have a UK tour to support The Imperious Horizon between the 4-10th November, that should be announced by the time this comes out and we have two international bands coming over to the UK to join us for those dates. We will be travelling to Ireland on Jan 31st to Feb 2, as yet unannounced but expect news soon and we have an EU tour in the works for late Feb/Early March all being well.
Anything else you would like to discuss?
Stay true to yourselves and help support bands like us by buying physical records. Please follow our social media pages for news about upcoming releases and shows. Thank you very much for the interview.
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The Imperious Horizon releases September 13th via Candlelight Records/Spinefarm.
