In tortured/depressive doom you rarely have the chance to experience a band that outstands its rivals, in such a way like British-based ESOTERIC. In fact, since SHAPE OF DESPAIR, I haven't really listened to such a perfect depressive music, so follow me to a journey into the esoteric world of these musicians.

Necromantic Art: Hello guys! I was so impressed with your album especially that it's for the first time when I hear of ESOTERIC, so I decided to give you a chance to show off in my zine. My first question refers to the beginning of the band. As I said earlier, it's for the first time when I hear of you, so I'm very anxious to hear more from you about the foundation of this great band and your previous releases until "Subconscious Dissolution into the Continuum".
Steve Peters: The band was started in Birmingham, England in '92 by five individuals, inspired to create a form of music which expressed the darkest aspects of their psyche. The first recording, "Esoteric Emotions - The Death of Ignorance" was recorded a year later and soon found it's way around the tape-trading networks which prompted an album offer from AESTHETIC DEATH RECORDS, who were a respected distro in the metal underground community. ESOTERIC continued the journey with "Epistemological Despondency", released in 94 as a Double CD. This CD found its way to me with a message saying that they were looking for a guitarist. It was the most extreme music that I had ever heard so I had to get involved and joined the band that same year. The band also had no drummer at the time but we played a few gigs around the UK and Germany with session drums and eventually returned to the studio to record "The Pernicious Enigma" which AESTHETIC DEATH released in 1997. Despite the various setbacks over the following years, including the complete destruction of our instruments in a fire, and a guitarist leaving, we had three songs written which needed to be recorded so that we may move on to explore the new configuration of musicians and equipment. We released "Metamorphogenesis" in '99 through Eibon Records in Italy. We spent the next few years working on some new sounds and musical theories which we recorded in 2003 entitled "Subconscious Dissolution into the Continuum". Our bassist left the band shortly before we started the recording which meant that we had to find and rehearse a suitable bassist as well as a drummer to complete the album. Throughout all the history of ESOTERIC, we have maintained a unique style and musical vision which continues to perplex even the most experienced extreme metal listeners. Just when you thought you'd heard everything there is to hear, another ESOTERIC CD arrives which challenges everything about the way we think about and listen to music.
Necromantic Art: In your biography it is said that you had confronted with a lot of line-up problems over the years. Please give me some details. Why such problems? Was there a musical incompatibility of the former members with the band's style or they were simply poor musicians? Have these line-up changes affected your style in any way over the years?
Steve Peters: There were some problems in the beginning that resulted in the drummer and one of the three guitarists leaving, but the core members of the band have remained since 1994. I don't see the other line-up changes as problems - they were necessary to preserve the sanity of the members that left. They left of their own accord; no reason was given as no reason was required. The only real problem with the line up was the fact that we had no drummer for nine years. We borrowed drummers from other bands for gigs but there was no permanent drummer until Andy joined in 2003. One of the original guitarists left the band in 1997 and never really gave a reason; He obviously didn't want to be there and that's good enough reason for us. Greg played guitar as well as the vocals from then on. The bassist left in 2002 because his personal situation had changed to the point where he simply had no time to commit to the band, but again, there was no 'falling out' between us; he was replaced by Mark in 2003. I think that having no drummer and having to rehearse and write music to a drum machine has been one of the most significant influences in the band's style - it introduced a mathematical and precise element to the music which was not so apparent on the demo and first CD. Other than that, the musical style and vision of the band has only changed as much as we have progressed as individual artists. We've never suffered from musical differences within the band as our common goal has always been to create something unique and provided that this criteria is met, we are all satisfied. The current line up is 3 guitars, bass, drums vocals and keyboard and is the most complete line-up we've ever had.
Necromantic Art: I have noticed also a lot of label changes. Was this due to your uncompromising and less commercial sound? How did you get in touch with this superb SEASON OF MIST RECORDS? And how are things going so far with them?
Steve Peters: Not at all, we've found that record labels have always been keen to release our music. We released the first 2 double CD's with AESTHETIC DEATH - there was never any official deal with the label but AD were perfect for the band at the time in terms of enthusiasm and budget. Eibon Records (Italy) released "Metamorphogenesis" because AD were unable to do it at that time and we were already in contact with them and some of the bands associated with the label. We have now reached a level of independence where we can fully produce an album with little or no financial backing so we have been able to remain free from the constraints of recording deals. So while our sound and style may not be commercial in nature, the final product is commercially viable for any record label which has an audience for genuinely unique music. Most of the labels we contacted were interested in the album but SEASON OF MIST offered us the best distribution so we went with them. I hadn't heard of the label before their offer was made so I had no idea of what to expect from them but, apart from a few initial communication problems things have been OK, but we've only been with them a matter of weeks so anything could happen.
Necromantic Art: Please describe me a bit your style on your previous albums. What were your musical influences? At a first listening I have noticed MY DYING BRIDE or IN THE WOODS. Do you agree? What has inspired you to choose this style though and do you consider that you have evolved as musicians over the years?
Steve Peters: It's impossible for me to describe the music in words, if I were able to do that I would be a writer not a musician. All that I can say is that it is totally unique in almost every aspect. While there may be very broad comparisons with many bands none would be remotely accurate. We are similar to the bands you mentioned in that we play loud guitars but the overall experience is far more intense and extreme than any other band of that genre. Each song is written by an individual within the band so each track is not influenced by anything or anyone apart from the member that wrote it and their desire to take the ESOTERIC sound to the next level. We all have very different tastes in music and I believe that we are each influenced, at least on a subconscious level, by everything we've ever seen, heard, felt or imagined - so each song may progress along a completely different path depending on who is working on it, their vision of what esoteric music should sound like and the hallucinogens they are on at the time. The style was never really chosen or engineered - we can only use what we know to express our ideas and death metal was the common factor in the beginning which is still with us today to some extent, but we do it very differently. We have progressed as musicians in the sense that we are able to more accurately express ourselves in the music but that quality has always been apparent since the first demo, only now it's more refined and intricate.
Necromantic Art: Let's get back to present and please describe the circumstances that made the release of this great "Subconscious Dissolution into the Continuum" album possible.
Steve Peters: Over the years our reputation has far exceeded anything that we ever expected for the band. We announced on our website that we had entered the studio to record some new tracks and since that time there has been a constant stream of requests for the tracks to be released. Our previous albums have been largely unavailable except for a handful of small distros around the world and our own website so it was important that we were able to satisfy demand with the support of a respected label for the new album. There were plans to keep it totally self released but demand outgrew our ability to supply it and after the long period of fine-tuning the recording, we decided that it would be best handled by someone else. We sent the finished promo to loads of labels and picked the label that suited us best in terms of distribution and attitude towards our artistic vision.
Necromantic Art: Your songs are very long (15, 16, 17 minutes). Why? Don't you think some people might get bored by your songs' length? On the other hand, I believe you have to produce something really special in order not to bore the listener with a 17 minutes long song (which in my opinion, has been achieved perfectly on this album). What do you think?
Steve Peters: The songs are very long because they are very slow. The songs are very slow because the notes that we decide to play sound best at a slow tempo. If they were faster and shorter or slower and longer, it would sound wrong. We have recorded 2 and 3 minute songs in the past which are a lot faster and are able to portray short bursts of anger or hatred and if that works as a single track then it stays as a single track. The tracks on "Subconscious..." and indeed all our other albums, contain certain sections of faster, more angry music but they represent just one aspect of a greater emotion which only works if it remains as part of that overall piece. If people get bored by long slow songs then they should go and find a band that plays shorter faster songs - those that enjoy a more engaging experience might find our music more to their taste.
Necromantic Art: Your music is in my opinion very dark and heavy. Was the addition of a keyboard player decisive in achieving such a majestic dark sound?
Steve Peters: Olivier joined the band in 2003, long after the recording of the latest album was complete so keyboards have had very little influence on our sound whatsoever. The band has been 99% guitar/drum based before that. There are occasions where we've used a keyboard in the studio but not as a key instrument until "The Blood of the Eyes" on the new album - we never used keyboards in a live situation until our recent gigs in Europe. The reason Olivier has joined the band is because we frequently layer guitars together in the studio, sometimes in excess of 8 or 9 at a time so it was getting increasingly difficult to reproduce the effect in a live situation. Now that Olivier is with us, we can more faithfully reproduce our more complex arrangements. The sounds we create with guitars and effects are frequently confused as keyboards so it's understandable why some listeners think that keys are an integral part of the band, but they are not. Now that Olivier is with us I expect that we will use keyboards more but only time will tell.
Necromantic Art: How would you describe your actual style? I'd say that you perform a mixture of depressive doom and dark metal. What do you think?
Steve Peters: We have describe it as Hateful, drug-influenced, tortured doom in the past, but we stopped using that description since we frequently get mis-categorised as doom-metal - which is an entirely different genre altogether in my opinion. It is certainly very dark and the linguistic definition of 'doom' aptly describes the music but I wouldn't like to categorise it in such a way because of the many elements in the music that are nothing like any predefined genres. It's dark, miserable, angry and hateful.
Necromantic Art: How do you manage with this music style in the UK? Your music is very sombre and mysterious so, it is very hard to digest by uninitiated people. Is your music esoteric?
Steve Peters: Yes, the music is 'esoteric' and intentionally so. It is extremely difficult to understand for those that are not used to it but we don't write the music for anyone but ourselves - it is intended only for us. The gigs we've played in the UK have not been quite as successful as the gigs we play elsewhere in Europe, but we continue to play because it's great to play at maximum volume. Whether there are 20 people or 200 people at a performance, it makes no difference to us.
Necromantic Art: Would you consider adding church choirs to your music in the future in order to darken it even more?
Steve Peters: What? No.
Necromantic Art: What are your plans with this album? How are people reacting at your music during tours so far, considering that it's not a popular one?
Steve Peters: Our plans are to take advantage of our full line-up and play as often as we are able. The tracks from this album will be the backbone of our live set for a while but we generally play a mixture of songs from all of our albums. The reaction to the gigs so far this year has been nothing short of amazing. I think that people are much more open to unusual styles of music now and people are willing to experiment a little more in search of something less ordinary.
Necromantic Art: Is there anything that could have been done better on this album? How are you satisfied with the production?
Steve Peters: This album is the best it could be for the time we recorded it. There are details that could have been tweaked further but that would be a never-ending process. This is the best produced album that we've ever recorded, as it was recorded, produced and mastered entirely by ourselves - we took the time to perfect every aspect of the sound and the result is the clearest, heaviest and most intricate production possible.
Necromantic Art: What are the lyrics about?
Steve Peters: That is probably the most difficult question to answer since I have played no part in their creation. Greg has written all the lyrics for a number of years and their meanings are private and obscured. Only Greg could tell you what they really mean but I am sure that he wouldn't. The lyrics are written in such a way that many interpretations are possible - it is a very personal thing, so different people will derive different meanings. Those of erudition will be most accurate, as they are likely to have had similar experiences.
Necromantic Art: The final words are for you... Thank you for taking your time to answer my questions. Good luck with your album!
Steve Peters: Many thanks for the interview, I hope that it makes sense; it's very difficult to explain or describe something that I am so intensely involved in, especially when that something is something that was never meant to be explained or described. The name ESOTERIC was chosen because it is never intended to be understood by those that don't already understand. Everything you need to know is in the music and for those that want more, we have compiled lots of reviews and interviews on our website at www.bereft.co.uk.

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