It�s in everything related to the band. The band ends up being everything of mystery and occultism that Epping Forest keeps. In the forest of Epping there used to happen (and still do) meetings in the greatest secrecy, in which all kinds of occult matters were discussed. The band ends up being precisely that: each one of us has a great fascination with the occult sciences and, by composing the Black Metal we do, it�s like the creation of imagined landscapes, sombre and devastating ambiences that we keep within our souls.
However, this enthrallment with the occult does not compromise us with any kind of religious fanaticism, which is something that is reaching high levels of hypocrisy in Portugal, such as, for example, the creation of religious associations opposed to Christianity� Where does this take us? To the circus of Christianity, the sole difference being the changing of the clowns.
The basic idea behind the choosing of this name is exactly getting rid of all social and musical labels. Epping Forest is a name that doesn�t commit us with any musical style, giving us freedom to wander between Black Metal, Death Metal, etc. So, we create worlds through music that somehow are representations of what each of us exposes in this �Gathering� which is our band.
The lyrics are perhaps the part that best describes Epping Forest: they focus mainly on the classical and Norse mythology, they are independent of philosophies or areas of study, giving us freedom to describe varied mythical aspects. Right now we are also considering writing about Egyptian mythology and Lusitanian tales and legends.
How would you call the style you play? What are your musical influences?
We play Black Metal and I think that the only correctly discernible influence is Scandinavian Black Metal, the coldness, the devastating force that so distinguishes Scandinavian Black Metal. However, we keep a great margin to recreate our field of action, having orchestrations and keyboard parts that (according to the reviews we get) in no way hinder the blast of icy brutality and speed with which we �refresh� the listener, allowing him not to feel monotony in the course of the �travel throughout those worlds� obscurely re-created by us. As I use to say, it�s �Black Metal in your face� (laughs), direct and devastating in every sense.
You have been playing some concerts lately. What are your live experiences being like?
Every gig has left its mark. People seem to go to the gigs for Epping Forest, which is great. Despite the obstacles we must surpass, we have managed to keep a good rate in concerts; in fact, for a band with no studio recordings released, we have actually been having good opportunities, among which the first gigs of the band at the 4Play bar. Also important was the participation in the Festival Caos Emergente. This one seems to have been the great revelation of Epping Forest to a vast quantity of public and for the press, and that shows in the many contacts we have been receiving after that gig. I have also read several reviews to it that surprised us with the conclusion that people really had liked Epping Forest, even if we were playing with half the team (the latest gigs were played without the second guitar and without the bass).
All these gigs have been a very good experience, from the performances to the hanging out with the public and some bands that have become sincere friends of ours and supported Epping Forest in the struggle to keep up. But I must also thank the organisers of the events, that have been conscientious by inviting the bands and doing everything possible so that the mood is a festive one and that the bands play with pleasure and without worries. We have worked with excellent people who, in spite of little experience, have revealed a great professionalism and an awareness of the troubles a band has to go through to keep going from one place to another.
What have the reactions to your live promo CDR been like?
Honestly, that is what surprised us the most! That recording comes from a video camera; I only changed some equalization in my computer. Initially it was meant to be a home use recording and a little divulgation on our website (www.eppingforest.web.pt), but the growing demand for the work among listeners encouraged us to release it as a Promo CD-R. Although we do not consider it an official release, it�s been very sought after by the people who have kept with the course of Epping Forest. The reviews have also been excellent and I liked to see that some of the entities from the national Metal press have regarded us as a national hope within this more extreme sound.
This Promo CD-R is being sold for a symbolic price (for more info go to www.eppingforest.web.pt) and is limited to 300 copies, because we think that only the people who have truly supported Epping Forest would wish to acquire that item while we don�t release any studio recording.
What plans are there for future releases? What's going on with the band right now?
What will the near future bring?
Right now we are planning to go into studio around the end of December 2003, but, since there are always unexpected problems, this date may change. The unforeseen this time is the imminent collapse of our rehearsal place (laughs); it�s a VERY old house that has reached alarming levels of degradation. Due to this, rehearsals have been somewhat limited by the owner of the building who was notified by the authorities and shall soon close the building.
Right now the band is closed inside the rehearsal room getting ready to go into the studio and finishing the last touches in the songs. After the recordings we will begin spreading the result around some labels and then we�ll see what happens. Probably we will record 7-10 songs and I cannot disclose much more than that. Until then we�ll go on evaluating the interest from labels and producers.
We cannot make big plans (laughs), for something always happens that delays the progress of things.
What is your opinion about the Black scene in Portugal right now?
Any bands you are particularly fond of?
Hmm. That �fond of� is a little relative (laughs). To be honest there is no relationship with almost any Portuguese Black Metal band. They�re probably too busy being evil 24 hours a day or concerned in showing no interest in bands of the same style. I believe there is no big union nationwide, what there is is a few small groups that jeopardise the whole concept of true Underground; people are more interested in slagging off other bands or getting drunk than in using their ability of musical appraisal (laughs). Regardless, I have personally observed with great pleasure that Black Metal bands are beginning to take more care of the production of their recordings, making evident their good value and their own sound. I can say I enjoyed the evolution of Corpus Christii, Viingrid, Celtic Dance, Teasanna Satanna who got me really hooked up in their �Incertezas�, Nephtys who have shown an evolving sound and attitude, Lux Ferre with a very fast and devastating Black Metal, and a production that I really liked in their split �Cult Of The Black Flame�, and War Blasphemy, with a more �Raw� sound that would be greatly improved if only Abraxis would let me produce that with a better quality (laughs).
Portugal has been considerably evolving in the quality of recordings, and that is very good. A band can be even more powerful without the typical �Raw� masterization. But the truth must be told: there are bands that are like that and must keep on Raw always under risk of losing a lot of the feeling they have�
However, I am not a follower of one single style� I love all kinds of extreme sonority and I think things should be more diverse these days. Instead of the typical Black Metal gig or the typical Death Metal gig, there should be a mix of the two, or the audience can get a bit fed up. I sometimes go to gigs in which, even if the sound is good and the event goes ok, I end up getting to a point in which I had enough with listening to the same thing all the time, it�s boring to watch a 5 hours Black Metal gig or a 5 hours Death Metal gig, if there were some alternation it wouldn�t be so. The big problem in Portugal is that, organising Black or Death gigs, which makes the event monotonous and predictable, always with the same audience (and these days almost always the same bands). The people leave the gig tired of watching so much of the same in a single night. I think so even despite being a great fan of brutal Death Metal. And if such an alternation took place, it would also make the Death and Black Metal movements more united than they are. Black Metal these days has started being a little pushed over, I understand that people tell me that many of the New Wave of Black Metal bands made the style ridiculous, but didn�t that happen in the past too, when Death Metal was the big thing?? Why judge all the bands the same way just because one or two persons badmouthed a band?
And what is the scene like in the area where you live? Do you feel you have a good local support?
LAUGHS... Here there isn�t anything... and for me and Noctis to go through with this we had to wait three years and go get the other members 20 km away around Felgueiras [The Land of The Blue Bag] (Abraxis-Lousada; Menthor and Azrael -Amarante; Aenima Seraphitus - Guimar�es).
Support in this area has always been nonexistent. We only have 4 or 5 fans of the band in Felgueiras who support the band unconditionally, and as to the remaining supporters of Epping Forest I do not know who most of them are, but I can say it was their presence in our gigs that gave us the strength we have today to go on in our path and made me proud of each drop of blood that courses in Epping Forest.
We are making some plans for the beginning of 2004 around here, to see how the movement is going. Probably we will organise an event with five bands (who are already chosen) to see how feasible it is to go through with such undertakings in Felgueiras. Should it go ok, there are strong possibilities of organising future events here, in an attempt to recover some dignity for the Metal movement of the north of the country.
What bands have you been listening to lately?
The mandatory monthly Desire [every album], Gangrena �Infected Ideologies�, Immortal �At the heart of Winter�, Limbonic Art �In Abhorrence Dementia�, Obscenus �Nocturnus Exordio�, Anorexia Nervosa �New Obscurantis Order�, Dark Funeral [All of Them] and then the occasional Morbid Angel �Heretic�, Mystic Circle �Open the gates of hell�, Belphegor �Lucifer Incestus�, Agonizing Terror �Ways of existence�, Deity Of Carnification �Triumph of the Baroque�, Morbius �Morbivs�, Nokturnal Mortum �The taste of Victory�, Dimmu Borgir �Death Cult Armageddon�, Judas Iscariot �Heaven In Flames�, Marduk �Panzer division Marduk�, Burzum �Filosofem�� this just to mention the Albums I left on top of the stereo last night.
Thank you for your replies! All the best to your future!
We thank you for another chance of divulgation!
Visit our website regularly, it is often updated, so that you know what goes on with Epping Forest.
Thanks again!
MysticCosmoS
