UN: The new album has a very organic and natural sound. I'm curious to ask about the recording process. Do you guys record live or in the usual one instrument at a time manner? Did you have a certain sound in mind before you started recording?
Aaron: The sound of the record is due to collaboration with the engineer, Randall Dunn. He has a lot of experience recording non-metal music which was important because the last thing we wanted to create was a cookie cutter black metal album. Happily, Randall had a lot of great ideas and was a fantastic partner in the creation of Two Hunters. The man is a connoisseur of tones and really understands how to recreate the trance-inducing drones of an extremely loud band on tape.
For this record, we recorded the drums and the guitar live in order to achieve the right energy and intensity. Upon this base we layered many sounds and tones.
UN: Is it important for you guys to not be regarded as just another lo-fi black metal band? The band seems like it would appeal to black metal fans as well as doom metal fans and isnt typical of the genre at all.
Aaron: It is true that we try not to be bound by any convention, be it aural, ideological or spiritual. It seems clear that our sound is inspired by the aural aesthetic of black metal: intense, layered droning guitar that tends to submerge melody in a sea of psychedelic wash, trance inducing blast beats, emotionally wrenching screaming. I think that WITTR, especially on Two Hunters, have transcended being only Black Metal, though. We are equally inspired by Neurosis, various folk traditions, hardcore punk, death metal, ambient music; all of those influences make their presence known.
UN: The booklet for the new album is very minimalist. Did you guys know you wanted a simple look right from the start? Its a nice change of pace from the typical metal cover.
Aaron: The aesthetic and the imagery for the record was created while we wrote the music, for they tell the same story.
UN: Was it intentional to leave the lyrics out of the booklet? I noticed that you didnt have them available on the website either.
Aaron: We might release the lyrics in the future, but we would rather the music speak for itself and let every listener have their own experience.
UN: How does the band sound work in a live setting? Do you mainly stick to the shorter songs or do you play the lengthy songs as well? Do you guys do anything special for the live shows or is it a fairly standard metal show?
Aaron: All of our songs are quite long. For the time being our stage show is rather stripped down we focus on putting as much energy into the performance as we are physically and spiritually able. In the future, we would like to experiment with a visual component.
UN: Is touring important to the band? Do you that the live aspect is just as important as the recording aspect of music? It seems like a lot of black metal bands dont seem to tour or even play all that many shows.
Aaron: Our band exists to create live music. Playing this kind of music live is very difficult because of the extreme emotional and physical energy that it takes to conjure the spirit. For this reason touring can be tough. It is difficult to sustain emotion and "Realnessz" over the course of 20 or 30 shows. It is also very difficult to leave home for long periods of time. There is always much work to be done on the farm.
UN: I've always thought that certain styles of music come across as being more artistic then others. Do you feel that music can transcend just being a collection of notes and truly be called art?
Aaron: Of course. I think true art is that which touches the transcendent, that which is truly real, that of the realm of archetypes. The original Black Metal, in its true form, managed to access certain dark and wild energies that very real and powerful.
UN: Nature seems to be a big influence on the band. Do you feel a connection between your music and nature? Does it inspire the band to write?
Aaron: It is more than being inspired by nature. Modern life is predicated on the idea that the planet is best understood as a complex machine whose processes can be quantified and controlled. This is total insanity! The universe that we see is a reflection of a suprasensible, spiritual reality that lies beyond our everyday perception: the transcendent. All ancient cultures and all spiritual traditions recognize this truth. Our music intends to reawaken our relationship with this transcendent power that lies just out of reach. The sadness in our music, in all Black Metal, represents the fear that we have permanently severed our connection to the planets divine spirit.
I live on a farm-stronghold at the outskirts of a small town. I am able to subsist off of the produce we grow in our fields and the milk and meat that comes from our like-minded neighbors. Wolves in the throne room is a sort of aural manifestation of the lifestyle that we seek: one that eschews the soul destroying culture of modernity in favor of a more traditional existence that is in harmony with natures cycles.
UN: Two Hunters is the bands first album for Southern Lord. Are you guys happy to be calling the label home? They seem to be the perfect label for the band and are probably releasing the best black metal around right now.
Aaron: We are very happy with our relationship with Southern Lord. Greg Anderson has deep roots in the extreme music underground that we respect.
UN: Would you agree that black metal is the most natural for of metal? By that I mean it seems to be without pretension and is the most artistic, emotional and raw form of metal. Of course Im talking about the raw and atmospheric side of the genre but the keyboard drenched big budget side of the genre.
Aaron: I think you are right. Black Metal tends to be the refuge of the intelligent, thoughtful, and spiritual compared to death metal or grindcore. But, as they say, in the land of the blind the man with one eye is king. In other words, I think that the idea that Black Metal represents the elite of humanity is a pathetic joke. There are a few individuals who express a personal and idiosyncratic vision of despair that is powerful and worthwhile. In general, though, I am bored by the cartoonish Satanism that most black metal espouses. I am not interested in National Socialist Black Metal either. I think that Black Metal needs to transcend the mundane world of politics and deal exclusively with the spiritual. The NSBM scene, like most white power culture is a sad collection of ego-maniacs who really tend to be of quite marginal stock.
UN: There used to be a stigma against US black metal bands with the bands getting a lot of slack and not being taken seriously. Do you feel that at all anymore? I would say that the most creative bands in the genre right now call the US home.
Aaron: I think you may be right. Black Metal is, at its best, a personal and local expression. It is extremely foolish to laud European Black Metal over American Black Metal as many purists do. There are artists on both continents who are worthwhile among the legions of the mediocre.
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