Over the course of an EP, a split and debut full length Feathers Fall to Flames, Phoenix, AZ’s Savage Necromancy have blazed a path of bestial black/death metal devastation that shows no signs of letting up or slowing down. The band recently re-released Feathers Fall to Flames via the venerable 20 Buck Spin and after just a few years of existence are already poised to take the metal scene at large by storm with their knack for crafting songs that are catchy and memorable without forsaking any of the crushing ultraviolence the genre is known for. In honor of the re-release, I caught up with guitarist/songwriter Conjurer of Putrid Desecrations via email to discuss Savage Necromancy’s plans for world domination.
THKD: For readers that might not be familiar, tell us about the formation of Savage Necromancy. How did the band come to be and what goals did you have in mind when starting out?
Conjurer of Putrid Desecrations: The Grand Marshall of Hell and myself started this band just with the intention of making heavy straight-forward war metal songs. We had absolutely no goals besides working on being tight before playing shows and to put out a demo.
THKD: You released your debut album Feathers Fall to Flames last year. What was your mindset going into the writing and recording of the album and what did you hope to accomplish?
Conjurer of Putrid Desecrations: My mindset in writing was to create very intense and razor-sharp black metal and to solidify us as a more serious band than what was previously shown on our demo and split. It was intentional to start adding more variation to our black metal with SE Asian/Brazil and black/thrash influences.
THKD: What is the songwriting process like for Savage Necromancy? Is there a single primary writer or do you work on the songs as a band?
Conjurer of Putrid Desecrations: For the most part I write all the songs (the intro track was written by Grand Marshall of Hell). When I am satisfied with a song being complete we practice it. Lyrics don’t really come into play until we record. I would say I write the majority of the lyrics on the new album and GMOH arranges and structures the vocal patterns. Lately for our other band we have been writing and demoing the songs on a DAW before practicing them as a band so we might do the same for the remainder of the full-length tracks.
THKD: One thing that immediately impressed me about Feathers Fall to Flames is that it is violent and brutal but still manages to be very catchy and riff-driven. Was this intentional or just a natural evolution of the band’s approach to songwriting?
Conjurer of Putrid Desecrations: It’s intentional. We want to be razor-sharp and have strong memorable songs including more influence from other styles of bestial black metal. I see a few comments saying this is not war metal because we are not chaotic enough and that’s fine, this is our evolution of where we want our black metal to go.
THKD: Feathers Fall to Flames is being reissued by 20 Buck Spin. How did you come in contact with the label? Will you be releasing any other material through them?
Conjurer of Putrid Desecrations: Yes, we were currently writing the next full-length for 20 Buck Spin! I believe what happened was Nate from Spirit Adrift told Dave [Adelson, owner of 20 Buck Spin] about us and Dave was interested, and Rippy (our friend who recorded this album) relayed the message to us. We contacted Dave and it was a very smooth process and we are extremely happy to be on the label.
THKD: You released your debut ep in 2019, followed by the split with Genocidal Sodomy in 2020 and Feathers Fall to Flames in 2021. Are you currently working on any new material and if so when can fans expect to hear it?
Conjurer of Putrid Desecrations: Yes as mentioned before writing another full-length for 20 Buck Spin, we are maybe 2-3 songs deep into it so far. I imagine this will take a while so hopefully by Fall/Winter of next year.
THKD: What does the rest of 2022 have in store for Savage Necromancy? Are there any live shows/tours in the works to support the reissue of Feathers Fall to Flames?
Conjurer of Putrid Desecrations: As of writing this I can’t give exact details yet, but yes there are plans for all of these!
THKD: Savage Necromancy hails from Phoenix, Arizona. How would you describe the metal scene in your home city/state? What new bands from the area should readers be on the lookout for?
Conjurer of Putrid Desecrations: Be on the lookout for Moribund Dawn, mystical & imperial Swedish style Black Metal praising Vinterland, Dawn, & Dissection!
THKD: It seems as though in recent years there has been a proliferation of war metal or bestial black/death metal bands coming out of the US and Canada. Why do you think this is? Do you consider Savage Necromancy to be part of that movement?
Conjurer of Putrid Desecrations: I don’t know honestly, and history will tell!
THKD: I often see Savage Necromancy being compared favorably to Archgoat online. Do you consider them to be a primary influence? What other bands have inspired you?
Conjurer of Putrid Desecrations: Archgoat has for sure been a primary influence on this band and we don’t hide it. In Feathers Fall To Flames further in writing the album I was being more influenced by bands like Impiety and Nifelheim and I see our progression going more towards this sort of bestial black/thrash influenced path.
THKD: What are you currently listening to and what are your favorite releases of 2022 so far? Do you have any recommendations for THKD’s readers?
Conjurer of Putrid Desecrations: I’m currently listening to the same Chemlab song on repeat. Very much been on an industrial and old-school EBM kick lately. I’m in full-on riff writing mode now and I don’t like listening to adjacent stuff to what I’m making (especially if it’s recent)
THKD: Are there any final thoughts you’d like to add?
Black Metal Victory!!
Special thanks to Earsplit PR for arranging this interview.
Morbid Angel, Dark Funeral, Grave; listening to metal in my early teens and twenties, I never imagined such an excellent lineup would roll through my hometown of Des Moines, IA. When this tour was announced, I found myself checking the dates on several websites just to make sure I wasn’t seeing things and that there really was a Des Moines stop scheduled. This would be my first time seeing all three bands, and being that all three bands are legendary (at least as far as my own personal metal pantheon is concerned), I was just as giddy at 33 as I would’ve been at 18 had this lineup desecrated Des Moines back then. Continue reading “Grave / Dark Funeral / Morbid Angel @ People’s Court, Des Moines IA, 10/07/12”
The death of rock ‘n’ roll has been greatly exaggerated. In the mainstream sure, rock ‘n’ roll is as cold and lifeless as Kurt Cobain’s corpse (yeah, yeah, I know he was cremated, whatthefuckever), repeatedly shot in the face by the malformed and talentless post-grunge spawn of crumbling major labels. But in the underground, it’s a different story. Rock music is alive and well in seemingly endless permutations, from stoner to goth to death n’ roll, as raw and dangerous as ever. Continue reading “Midnight – Satanic Royalty (Hells Headbangers, 2011)”
Avichi’s The Devil’s Fractal is a fierce yet seductive beast. The album is an exercise in scathing yet hypnotic orthodoxy, a musical dialogue between man and Satan. It is infused with a frightening level of conceptual complexity rarely seen in American black metal. With the help of Profound Lore’s Chris Bruni, I contacted Avichi mastermind Andrew Markuszewski in order to delve into his head full of hate.
THKD: What is The Devil’s Fractal? Where did the term come from and how does it fit into the overall concept of Avichi?
Andrew Markuszewski: The Devil’s Fractal is a reflection of my own innate understanding to and resonance with the dark. His fractal is an equation revealing his immaculate aspect in me and furthermore his manifestation here in the physical reality and beyond. The title came to me while I was observing fractal geometry and reflecting upon the whole world and my life in general. It describes how the will to fashion the world in one’s very own image (an inherently satanic attribute) is a continuous yearning and unavoidable effect of all things.
THKD: The album’s lyrics appear to be a dialogue between mankind and Satan. Can you elaborate on this and what inspired it? Is The Devil’s Fractal a concept album?
AM: It is very much a dialogue. I’ve always flirted with the idea of writing for the screen or even a play, so I set out to experiment with this desire while writing lyrics for the record. I remember seeing Homer’s Odyssey in a beautiful theater in downtown Chicago once when I was a young adult, and it’s interesting to notice how such an experience can invoke inspiration many years later. I’m sure the plays of Faust also had their influence. Writing in dialogue form has a different energy to it especially when focused on monumental and grandiose themes. Even now I have some ideas in mind for further continuing such writing.
As for The Devil’s Fractal being a concept album – it is and it isn’t. I’ve always admired and sympathized with the romantic Satan of writers such as John Milton and Charles Baudelaire, so I weaved my own tale with this character since I feel his own lines drawn upon my face. It isn’t so much a tale as it is a collection of short dialogues with different aspects of the same being. It is my tribute to the devil.
THKD: Is black metal an inherently Satanic form of music? What does Satan mean to you on a personal/spiritual level, and how does your concept of Satan inform your work in Avichi?
AM: Black metal is absolutely influenced by satanic themes, but it is in no way limited by them. Sometimes it may even find such themes completely unnecessary. That is all fine and ok. Whatever inspires to create something powerful ought to be used. Whatever stagnates should be discarded.
Satan on its highest level is a symbol foreboding by might and empowering to souls of elite temperament. As a deity Satan is limited by his own attributes – however strong they may be. To quote Milton, I feel more akin to the phrase “All deities reside in the human breast”. Yet in moving beyond this quote, I would like to see my spirit trample all deities towards establishing my own unequivocal radiance. If this is the essence of Satan, then call me Satanic. Avichi was born of this essence, but if the spirit of self-rediscovery dictates I am to draw inspiration elsewhere then elsewhere shall the music progress. Avichi is the projection of me, but maybe it’s the other way around.
THKD: What inspires you to create this music and what is it about black metal that you find appealing? Also, can you tell us a little about the genesis of Avichi and how the project has evolved?
AM: Hate. I am mostly inspired by just pure hatred. Sometimes I am able to move beyond it after a certain satisfaction of release, and I enter a state of tranquility and peace. Sometimes it is just the void itself which inspires, and I let myself go to give birth to free expression. This is felt by proficient composers of all mediums, and tapping into this stream is a very rewarding and beautiful feeling.
In many ways I’ve reached a stage where I am at peace in hate. I meditate in it, and I weave black rituals underneath Hate’s altar. Hate is my savior, and it is he who watches over me. He kept me from killing myself when I was younger. He was defiance in the face of despair and my strength against America’s system of social conditioning. Black Metal is Hate’s direct conduit; hence, as a musician, it’s in my blood.
Sex and the energies of the released serpent also inspire me, although I can be likened more to a sinister monk. I’m delving more into kundalini yoga now, but not just the version of white light ideology. Sexual energy is now used for more refined purposes taking precedence over your typical bang and shoot. Of course, as anyone who knows me personally would know, I am not without my instances of debauchery.
I would personally like to see Avichi move beyond just hate and see it become more passionate at every level. As a recording artist I don’t want to be limited and stagnate within one emotion although I probably have a lot to offer in that area and continue to do so. There will be an ever more defining and open sound with this band.
THKD: How did you hook up with Profound Lore for the release of The Devil’s Fractal? What is it about the label that makes it a good home for Avichi?
AM: I met Chris Bruni at a few shows while touring with Nachtmystium, and I gave him a copy of the unmixed Avichi record during one of those meetings. Things took off from there, and Chris gave me free reign to get things done as I so envisioned. Profound Lore cares about its releases and has a highly refined sense of aesthetics. It’s also a label able to stay ahead of what people want to hear. I think that’s what sets them apart from other indie labels and is putting them next to the more major players in the business.
THKD: What does Benjamin Vierling’s artwork bring to The Devil’s Fractal? What made you decide to enlist him to create the artwork and how important to you is the visual aspect of Avichi?
AM: It complements the album beautifully. I got in touch with Benjamin through Tyler at AJNA after inquiring about who was doing all the killer oil painting work for his front.
Benjamin has more than met my expectations. Not only did I get the artwork and everything that I asked for, but I also got a handwritten letter on parchment and a sketch of the interior meditative monk piece that’s in the layout. I mean, he’s a professional artist, and his pieces can be found in galleries on both continents.
(As a side note, the art that’s in the interior of the layout was actually commissioned for some songs I recorded for a 7” and for a compilation before I even started on The Devil’s Fractal. They never were released. I’m really critical of what is released, and I was almost at a point where I didn’t want The Devil’s Fractal released in its current recorded state. However, something had to be released. I plan on re-recording a track or two of the unreleased material when I’m back in the studio, but that won’t happen until I am confident in my drumming.)
Of course the visual aspect is important. Everything is. Most refined black metal bands would tell you this. This music is very personal to both the artist and listener. When I’m holding a release, I want to feel like I’m holding a Beksinski.
THKD: Does Avichi play live or are there plans for any live rituals in the future? What would the ideal live Avichi experience entail?
AM: Avichi doesn’t play live and most assuredly never will. There was a moment a year after The Divine Tragedy where I almost had a full line-up, and it started to look and sound like a proper band. We almost even flew to Rotterdam to play some festival from what I remember. Things didn’t turn out that way. Devotion from others was lacking as was skill, and I was not about to put on a performance I was not completely confident in.
After that experience and all the wasted energy trying to play with others, I buried the idea and threw a rock over it. Right now I’ve been getting my live shits and kicks in Nachtmystium and Lord Mantis.
THKD: Avichi hails from the Chicago area. How do your surroundings, and specifically an urban environment influence Avichi?
AM: I live in Chicago, and I’ve seen most of its parts. I’ve seen everything from its immaculate and divine neighborhoods to its dilapidating infrastructure and depressed ghettos that look more like the set for a post apocalyptic horror movie. If you stick to its more admirable areas, it can be a great place to live and indulge in, but it can also be dangerous. There’s not a day that goes by where I am not astonished by a new level of human filth walking on the street, whether it’s some fat ugly American with diabetes spewing out of its pores, or a crackhead bum begging me to give him my hard earned money so he can stay a crackhead. I just saw this black prostitute the other day who looked like she was three years pregnant and about to shoot out some glassy-eyed maggot on my boot holding a crack rock, astroglide, and a welfare check. Sometimes it’s just the twilight zone of shit.
My daily life is mostly spent in a three mile radius around Wicker Park – hipster capital of the world. It’s where you’ll find the majority of artists and musicians in Chicago, and it’s generally pretty nice. I am here because here is where my current state of opportunity as a recording artist exists. I’d enjoy living in an unholy temple up in the mountains somewhere, but sometimes you just have to live where the action is. I can see my life slowly leaning towards the other direction though as I get older. That is if I do get older.
The world one experiences has a direct affect on who you are, but only to the extent that you let it. It never dictates how you must react and choose to live. Writing for Avichi is about writing for myself. No one and no world can tell me how I should write for it.
THKD: What do you think sets American black metal apart? What makes USBM unique amidst the international black metal scene?
AM: I don’t see anything as necessarily apart from one another. I also don’t consider Avichi a USBM band. Avichi doesn’t belong to any territory. These are labels from critics, and critics are just critics. Perhaps USBM bands tend to be a cunt-hair more rebellious and experimental, but I think you only hear people saying that because here you have hipsters, hippies, even probably a few hip hop people listening to bands you would only find black leather-clad thrashers in Europe listening to. I’m one of the black leather-clad guys. I don’t see us as anymore unique than what’s created internationally. Every country has their talented and dedicated musicians and their not so good weekend warrior musicians.
A lot of USBM probably sucks for sure, but a lot of it also sucks everywhere else. I don’t really care. I usually just come across a killer record or band and absorb it for a few months. Right now all I’ve been listening to is Necros Christos everyday, but Thorns has been making its way into the player recently along with some Skinny Puppy.
THKD: With that said, what do you personally want to add or contribute to black metal with Avichi? What are your aspirations for the work?
AM: I just want to make meaningful records – whatever musical state they make take. If my work is recognized and praised by anyone of the black metal community then I am honored for I am of the same army.
My personal aspiration is to be a complete and well-rounded musician able to go into a studio with just myself and an engineer and leave with a great record. I know I can write. I am confident in my ability to write and compose. I’m doing it constantly with all the bands I play in. I wrote more than half a record for Avichi in 24 hours when I got back from the last Nachtmystium tour. Right now my main focus is playing the drums whenever I can. The next time I go in to record for Avichi it will be alone. Expect something daring.
THKD: What is your take on the current state of black metal and how do you foresee the genre growing/evolving in the future?
AM: It’s fine. Breathes of fresh air continue to enter the scene and that’s all it needs. Plus you can never go wrong listening to the fundamental originators. There’s plenty out there and many classics that bear repeated listening ad infinitum. It’ll continue to grow and new beasts will take shape as long as some of us are here and we have our instruments. I plan on becoming one of those beasts.
THKD: You’re involved in several other projects, such as Nachtmystium and Lord Mantis. How does your work with these other bands inform what you do in Avichi? Is it an entirely separate entity, or do elements of one occasionally spill into another?
AM: Avichi is of course an entirely separate entity, but it’s true when you learn to write new rhythms and grow with another band, it does in turn spill its knowledge into whatever you do. Not a bad thing. I try to utilize my complete bag of arsenal yet keep things in with the spirit of the band I’m writing for or contributing to.
THKD: What is your take on the so-called “hipster” black metal phenomenon being spearheaded by the likes of Liturgy? Does it matter what other bands are doing?
AM: There is no “phenomenon”. What we have here is only music for the weak and non-threatening. I’m not a hipster. I’m a fucking warrior. Black Metal at the end of every day is a dangerous and uneasy art. It is hard on the spirit and requires an unwavering will. Even when not dangerous and hateful, these capabilities can still be sensed through the artist. Hipsters financed by people with money who see a temporary window of opportunity to capitalize on what these dregs see as ‘cool’ will never come close to the essence of the craft. Just because one has found a way to transcend something, even black metal, does not mean a pinnacle has been reached. Transcendence has been an important theme in Avichi as well, but I stand against the thought black metal has seen its end and its ‘theories’ have all been laid out capable of being taught to anyone wishing to enroll in its train of thought. Perhaps the hipsters are on to something which I am blind to; however, I can’t help but sense a smug piousness in their lofty attitudes which fills my abdomen with hate – the same hate I’ve always felt towards sheep and white light ideology. I myself have many refined tastes corresponding to my own vanity and could even be seen as hypocritical at times, but for fuck’s sake – burrow your roots deeper into hell before you attempt to dwell amongst the stars. As it was once said by a great band, “I transcend with blood on my hands”.
It only matters what other bands are doing if you let it matter. All things are empowered by attention. Remove your attention, and they cease to be relevant.
THKD: Are there any final thoughts you’d like to add?
AM: No. I’ve answered enough questions for now, but thank you.
THKD 