1. Hails Thorn please introduce yourself to the readers?
Hi !!! Here Thorn (or more precisely RM - I'm using my initials on all Plague Weaver releases). I'm a person behind Plague Weaver, Canadian blackened doom metal from Mississauga, Ontario.
2. When did you first become interested in writing and playing music? What were the first instruments you learned to play?
It was around 30 years ago when I was a teenager. Everything started with 2 pirate cassettes I bought somewhere in a flea market - Slayer "South of Heaven" and Kreator "Endless Pain".
The next step was my first band with friends. I already played classic guitar ( when I was a kid I spent a few years in music school ) so the transition to electric guitar was fast. We disbanded pretty fast because everyone had different views about the genre of music we should play, but I was already hooked into music. That was the beginning
3. Are you self-taught or did you take lessons when first starting out? Are there any instruments that you would like to learn to play one day?
As I mentioned before, I had a few years in music school as a kid. After that, I learned everything myself. If I have enough time I would learn to play on cello - I really like the sound of this instrument.
4. When did you first get the idea to start Plague Weaver and are you satisfied with how things have progressed so far?
The original idea was to create music in the vein of old school black metal - everything that happened before Norwegian BM. My inspiration was mainly mighty greek bands like Varathron, Necromantia, Rotting Christ. I added to this mix my other personal inspirations and influences and Plague Weaver was born.
So far the feedback is generally positive. People seem to like the atmosphere I'm trying to create in this EP - I'm really satisfied with the outcome and overall progress.
5. Who would you say are the band's biggest influences? For the readers who have never heard Plague Weaver how would you best describe the bands musical style?
My biggest influences are old Rotting Christ, Varathron, Necromantia, Celtic Frost/Triptykon ( especially everything that happened after "Monotheist"), and Dissection. I also love bands like Incantation, Bolt Thrower, Candlemass, old Samael, and many more. My other inspirations are industrial and dark ambient/ritual music.
I think that closest description of my music is blackened doom, although you can easily find there a lot of other influences - I would say I always tried to be somewhere in between those genres - black, doom and death have their unique dark atmospheres which I'm trying to forge into one ...
6. Through The Sulphur Eyes is the newest release how long did it take you to write the music for the new release? How long does it usually take to complete one song?
"Through the Sulphur Eyes" was created in around 6 months. I started to work right after the release of self-titled debut EP. It's hard for me to say how long it takes to complete one song because I usually simultaneously work on more tracks at once. Because I'm working alone on all music, I need time to distance myself from everything I created so I'm jumping to another track, giving the previous one some time before I go back and finish it.
7. Where do you draw inspiration for the lyrics and what are some subjects you wrote about on the newest release? Which usually comes first the lyrics or the music?
Inspiration comes from various sources - music, literature, film, philosophy, occult, life ... Everything above creates a kind of environment where I can cultivate my ideas for music and lyrics. It's strictly personal space and it's hard to explain how it works - it comes naturally. And which comes first? To be honest it doesn't matter for me because I'm creating a whole musical and lyrical concept of song - I sometimes start with music, sometimes with lyrics, mostly trying to achieve the expected atmosphere of the song.
8. I believe Through The Sulphur Eyes is a digital release are there any plans to do a physical release soon? If yes when will it be available to the readers?
Actually "Through the Sulphur Eyes" is released both digital and physical CD, but due to Coronavirus promotion of physical CD is almost non-existent. Still, several distros around the world have my CD in distribution (the full list you can find on FB page). Of course, it would be nice if someone was interested in releasing it in other formats like cassette and vinyl.
9, Besides the Through The Sulphur Eyes release does the band have any other releases or merchandise currently available for the readers to purchase? If yes what is available and where can the readers purchase it?
All releases (both digital and CD) are available on our Bandcamp page. I have plans to make some more merchandise but at the moment I'm just waiting for the end of lockdown and we will see what happens next. As I mentioned before, CD is also available in several distros from the USA, Europe, and Japan, more details on our FB page.
10. I believe you are the sole member of Plague Weaver when you started this band did you plan to work alone or would you like to find some new musicians to work with?
When I started this band, it was just a kind of a side-project for me. Now it's my main project so my priorities have changed - I want to expand bands line-up and play live gigs. Probably when all this mess with Corona ends, I will start looking for members.
11. What do you feel is the easiest and hardest part about being a one-man band?
I think that both the easiest and hardest part is that you're on your own. I have freedom with doing anything I want to, and again, no one will help me with that. For me, the hardest part is to have a distance to my music - usually when more people are involved there is always someone who will tell you the truth about your music - if it's good or bad or if you need to change something - it's more team effort. One man band usually will face this kind of honesty in reviews.
12. If you had the opportunity to work with any musicians past or present who would you like to work with?
Hehe - its a really hard question, because I think that there are too many musicians in my dream line-up. But for sure it would be TG Fischer from Celtic Frost/Triptykon - their last releases are stunning and let's be honest - I'm under the influence of his music.
13. Besides working in Plague Weaver do you currently work with any other projects or bands? If yes please tell the readers a little about them?
Besides Plague Weaver, I have another project, Bisclaveret. Its more dark ambient/experimental music, over 20 years of activity I released many albums/ep's and played a lot of live performances. If you want, you can check bisclaveret.bandcamp.com for music.
14. When you need to take a break from working on new music or band business what do you enjoy doing in your free time?
To be honest, music takes the majority of my free time - I have regular work, family, kids and whatever amount of free time is left I'm dividing it between my 2 projects. I wrote 'majority' because I'm still trying to find time for other activities like books, movies ( I'm a fan of old horror movies, for example, British Hammer film ) and computer games.
15. Thank you, Thorn, for taking the time to fill this interview out do you have any final comments for the readers?
Thx for reaching me out !! My message for readers is simple - keep support underground music, especially in those hard times !!!
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