Satanic assassins, SAURON

(by Professor Black)

“I don’t really care that much what people call us,” remarks Sauron’s feared frontman Doomy G. Blackthrash. “We play raw fucking thrash metal, but if you want to be more specific, you certainly can be.” Based in the icy and dystopian city of Lansing, Michigan, Sauron’s lineup has remained constant since it was completed in 2002. The trio of Doomy, guitarist Lore Lord, and drummer Skinthrasher honed its distinctive and devastating brand of thrash metal through a series of demos and local gigs, later unleashing the Thrash Assault album in 2004. The album made a (black) mark on the international underground almost immediately, and the band soon became an in-demand live act within the region.

It’s been several years since your last album. What have you been doing since then?

S: Mainly writing new material. We did record a four-song EP in ‘06, I think it was, but things didn’t work out with the label. We’ve had a few periods of inactivity due to scheduling conflicts with work, etc. We’re also not exactly the most hard-working band in the world either.

DGB: We’ve had a lot of good times, met a lot of great people, and seen a lot of great shows that we might never have if we weren’t in Sauron. Putting out Thrash Assault was a big deal for me personally, and having Witches Brew release the new one tells me that we’re doing something right.

You recorded Satanic Assassins more or less by yourselves…

DGB: We certainly did not record it by ourselves. We don’t have the knowledge for that, or the equipment. Al “Turk Fucking Black” LaRose is Skinthrasher’s roommate who recorded the album for free, and our friend Kevin Kitchel did the mastering. The obvious advantages of this are that it was free and we could take as much time as we wanted without worrying about studio time. The disadvantages are that we had to work with somewhat limited equipment in a basement rather than an area designed for recording.

Did you know what type of sound you were after when you started the recording, or did it take shape as sessions progressed?

DGB: We went in knowing basically what we wanted. I don’t think it was really specific, but Sauron certainly has basic ideals that it had to fit with.

How much revision did the music and lyrics undergo during the recording?

DGB: Since we had about four years to write the songs before we even started recording, almost everything was in its finished form. I did end up rewriting all of the lyrics and vocal patterns for “Thrash Metal Nightmare” and had to record the vocals for it with almost no practice, but I think it ended up making the song a lot better.

Have all of these songs been tested live? Even “Thrash Metal Nightmare”?

DGB: We have played all of the songs live at least one time. “Satanic Assassins” and “Lords of Slaughter and Warfare” were a part of our live set before even the first album came out, though in different forms. “Thrash Metal Nightmare” wasn’t played live until after it was recorded, but we have tested it live since.

Your vocals are very well articulated. Is this something you strive for?

DGB: I definitely would rather have people able to understand my vocals than not, but I don’t think it’s the most important thing. The lyrics are in the booklet if you really need to know what I’m saying, but it’s not like I have any kind of political agenda or real message that I’m trying to get across. People that place too much emphasis on understanding lyrics are kind of missing the point of vocals, in my opinion. It’s all well and good to be able to understand what is said, but using the voice as an instrument and being appropriate to the music is what is really important, in my opinion. We are, at the end of the day, talking about music, not public speaking.

So how has Sauron changed in the years between albums?

LL: We have more equipment now. Also, we have larger music libraries.

DGB: We’re still together with the same basic objectives to have fun and play some dirty, raw thrash metal, but the way I view what thrash is, and music in general, has evolved a bit. We’re still mainly influenced by the same bands, though that list has grown as time has passed. Obviously we’re a few years older, a little bit wiser, and over time we’ve kind of discovered what Sauron is and isn’t. This will always be about passion for us, and if any of us loses that, then Sauron will be ended. We’re extremely picky about our music, about when, where, and with whom we will play live, because we can be. I think that is basically a result of getting older and realizing that the real reason we do this is because we love it, so there’s no good reason to do anything half-assed, whether that is rushing to finish an album and regretting it later or playing a shitty show with shitty bands just to try to get some “exposure” or whatever when we know damn well we are not and will not ever be a “professional” band.

ST: We’ve been more or less on the same page musically since day one, and that’s just gotten stronger over the years. I think with Thrash Assault, we were more concerned about making a “pure 100% thrash metal album,” whereas with the newer material, we allow a few more influences to seep in. I think our song structures have become more diverse too. The first album was much more verse-chorus, verse-chorus, etc.

Do you think that the wider audience is more receptive to thrash metal right now as compared to when Thrash Assault was released?

LL: Yes I do, but I don’t think that will have much meaning for us.

DGB: There has been this explosion fueled mostly by Municipal Waste and Toxic Holocaust. Everybody is into thrash right now. It’s the hip thing I guess. I think we’re still a bit too raw for a lot of people though, which is just fine by me.

LL: More thrash metal to choose from is better then more Pantera clones to choose from.

S: It’s kind of ridiculous the way thrash has “exploded” in the past few years. Oddly enough, it’s a trend right now, unfortunately. In ‘04 there weren’t many young bands playing thrash, that’s for sure.

What do you make of these newer bands?

S: I don’t really listen to any of it. I think it’s too generic. Too many of the bands are trying to be oh-so-’80s and there’s a bit of a focus on fashion too. It’s like “I Love the 80’s” metal-style. Kind of a cute, novel thing. Many of the bands seem to only draw influences from the bigger name Bay Area thrash bands. That being said, I’m sure many of the bands that are doing it genuinely like thrash. I just haven’t heard very many that I’d listen to on my own time, and certainly not before I’d reach for one of the classics instead. Pyöveli rules, though.

How much of a problem are posers nowadays?

LL: A bigger problem than ten dogs.

ST: To quote the new Darkthrone: “Posers are the same with their metal lies.” It seems like there’s always been posers, even back in the NWOBHM days. I think the ones that can do the most damage are the so-called “hipster” metal fans because they seem to want to reduce the music to another form of “alternative” or something ironic. It’s all aesthetics and no substance with “them.” A lot of those bands, they look and sound metal but don’t have the essence of metal. That being said, it’s metal’s own fault for not being better than it is right now. I mean, look at The Chasm’s The Spell of Retribution. That was released in ‘04, and it proves that death metal can still be done and done great. So where’s all the great death metal? I know there’s a few but not as many as there once was. The third Burzum album was the completion of the metal concept, in my opinion, but there’s still plenty to say within that concept’s framework. Quality not quantity people!

How important is originality in what you do?

S: Not at all, really. We just try to avoid being generic. Originality is overrated. It’s easy to throw in a trumpet or whatever in metal and call it original or progressive, but if the music isn’t saying anything, it doesn’t matter.

DGB: I think that a lot of people place more emphasis on the importance of originality than we do, but I think that as we are growing as a band we are being more original in our songwriting. I think that the new album has a sound that is much more distinctly “Sauron” than Thrash Assault did, but I still love that album anyway. I don’t think that whether music has a lot of originality affects how enjoyable it is to listen to any more than how hard it is to play, or what the cover art is.

LL: Heavy metal has a long tradition and many amazing bands. Speaking as a fan, I am just happy to play heavy thrash until my ears bleed. We are not the Residents, we are a straight-forward metal band. We play what we like, and if our influences bleed through onto our denim, then so be it!

Describe the typical Sauron gig.

LL: Fucking Power Time.

DGB: The typical Sauron gig is in Michigan, of course. We’ve played a few shows in other states, but not as many as I’d like. Basically, we show up to the gig, start drinking, and if things go according to plan, we’re drunk by the time we get on stage. Hopefully most of the audience is too. We then blast through our songs as fast as we can possibly play them, usually taking breaks to catch our breath and insult the crowd. I encourage people to get on stage and headbang or do some backing vocals if they know them, so it can get pretty chaotic. If we’re lucky, nobody’s equipment gets broken as a result.

S: When we played with Toxic Holocaust in Hamtramck, we didn’t get paid that night because apparently the crowd did $300 or so worth of damage while we were playing.

DGB: We started the show with two microphone stands on stage and somehow ended up with none by the time they cut off the PA and turned on the lights, but we finished the set anyway. We didn’t get paid that night, but we had snuck a bunch of people in for free, and nobody got kicked out, so everyone still got to see Toxic Holocaust and Bludwulf play.

Where is your best audience?

DGB: The thrashers here in Michigan are fucking insane and I love them all. Our best audience is probably in Lansing, but Detroit is great as well. Usually the best shows are the ones that get people from both cities to come.

What were some of your favorite gigs of the past?

S: My favorites are usually the local shows, especially some of the shows we did with Summon at Mac’s Bar [in Lansing] when they were still around. Total mayhem.

VR: Any gig at Mac’s Bar with Summon, Wastelander, Genocya, or Satyrasis. Great times. Also whenever the Canadians Twilight Hammer and Demontage come to thrash with us.

S: Opening for Kreator and Destruction was awesome, even though it was at Harpo’s, and opening for Destroyer 666 was great too.

DGB: Playing with Destroyer 666 and Cianide in Chicago was a highlight. Destroyer 666 is probably my favorite band ever, so that was very exciting, and the bar gave us a free case of beer which was good. We recently played a show at Mac’s Bar with Nachtmystium and Wolves in the Throne Room which was amazing, I had never seen so many people in that bar before and we’ve been playing there for years. Victor had some kind of problem with his amp and ended up humming most of the last song, including his solo! We also played an excellent show recently in Detroit with Nunslaughter, there were people there from all over the place. We played a great show on 6/6/06 at a DIY venue in Detroit where we got to enjoy barbecued goat, that was awesome as well.

Do you prefer recording or playing live?

DGB: I definitely enjoy playing live more. Recording sucks. I love the finished product, and it’s definitely worth it in the end, but it’s incredibly boring to me, and I get impatient. Playing live is the best thing in the world if there’s a good crowd.

S: I don’t really like either. I like the writing/creative stage the best. Once in a while live shows are fun, but a little goes a long way for me. I couldn’t be in one of those bands that’s playing out every weekend. There’s only so many places you can play anyway. Recording is frustrating because there’s a certain amount of pressure to not fuck things up and you’re always trying to get things to match the way you hear it in your head.

VR: Playing live is fun, but mostly because of our friends that play with us and come to the shows. I enjoy recording and writing music the most.

Do you consider what you do in Sauron to be art?

LL: If you think that three drunken metalheads have the mental capacity to create something artistic, then yes!

S: Absolutely. It’s an expression of our ideas and emotions.

DGB: We’re not trying to be highbrow about it or anything, but Sauron is a labor of love and it is definitely what I consider art.

Name Sauron’s enemies.

DGB: People who don’t listen to music. People who use the word “plethora” improperly. The Black Dahlia Murder. Whoever had the idea that Bonded by Blood be re-recorded. Fat, sweaty, shirtless guys with Pantera tattoos that run into you when you are headbanging then get confused when you kick their ass. Bars that don’t give us free beer. Drama queens. And of course, the free peoples of Middle Earth.

www.myspace.com/sauron666