by Janet Willis (Defecation of the Divine)
The thing that makes doom metal so powerful and atmospherically heavy (although the sound is anything but light and airy) is that it really speaks through the dense sounds and lyrical content of the feeling of struggling life, hence the label “doom”, but it also seems to create haunting and elaborately desolate and horror filled narratives that never stray from the overall leaden feel of the pure strength of the riffs that bash over you, although slowly at times, like violent tides against the shore. At least for me, that’s why I find myself drawn to it, the mighty sloth comprised of the most dark and cataclysmic realms of sound and inspiration…well also the fact that it’s insanely heavy and loud helps as well (I’m a lover of things loud and intense). Sadly until this release Ophis was yet an undetected particle in the field of Funeral Doom, but once I checked it out I immediately found myself a new band to add to my collection of abysmal gloom listens and took the opportunity to interview them as well. Fans of Evoken, Officum Triste, Ahab, Esoteric and the like will definitely enjoy this band if you haven’t already heard them. So here’s my interview with Phil, the main man behind Ophis:
Metal Maniacs: I really lucked out to get to work with Solitude Productions as they release some of the best in abysmal funeral doom like Astral Sleep and now you guys. How has the reception been to “Withered Shades” so far? Are you guys happy with the official release?
Phil: The album is out now for only a month and promotion just started, so we did not get that much reviews yet. But so far, all reviews have been good, some even extra-ordinary awesome. It seems we made an album that can match up with our last one, “Stream Of Misery”. Ourselves, we are happy with the result. We wrote on the album for over two years, and we think we made something we can be proud of. We are also very proud of the artwork and the overall sound of the record. Both Dusan Belohlavek (cover) and Jens Ballaschke (producer) made an awesome job.
Metal Maniacs: You should be happy with it!!! It’s really moody and all encompassingly HEAVY!!!! So while we’re at it tell us all a bit about you guys, you are new to some of us but massively heavy so you’ll be sure to keep a strong following with some of us new listeners and the die-hard originals.
Phil: With the exception of one interruption Ophis has been around for some 9 years now, and “Withered Shades” is our 4th release. I founded Ophis in late 2001 as a side project originally, but the band split up after a few months, so in 2002 I decided to go alone and made it my solo-project. I recorded and released a demo (which was re-released by Karge Welten Records in 2008). In 2003 Ophis reunited as a band, 2004 we signed to Cxxt Bxxcher Records and released an EP, then played all over Germany. In 2007 we signed to Imperium Productions, releasing our debut album “Stream Of Misery”. A year later we toured Europe as support to Pantheist and Skepticism, and also played a lot of one-off shows in Germany and other countries. Now we are on Solitude Productions and our new album is here. We were also featured on a lot of samplers and played some festivals.
Metal Maniacs: Sadly I’d missed you until this release as I’m a huge fan of the style and sound that you have going, but now I’ll be checking into the older releases as well and am glad to have another band to add to my Esoteric/Evoken style doom collection.
What do you want to create in your doom? Listening to you reminds me of bands like: Ahab, Esoteric, Evoken and Astral Sleep, as you all create the darkest and most morose and depressing atmospheres as well as some of the heaviest doom metal, but yet it all has it’s own mood depending on the artist and is always powerful. What are some of your personal influences?
Phil: Influences differ on musical influences and influences from life. The latter being the reason for the overall atmosphere in the songs and lyrics, the former being the “school” that taught us how to channel these personal influences into music. Put both together, and you have our sound.
Our musical influences grow over the years, as we widen our preferences in Doom Metal. I guess we each have different ones, so it’s hard to say. But we sure are all influenced by early 90s Doom/Death and old school Death Metal. There is not much else musically, that inspires us for our songs. It’s also not too good for a band to consider their musical influences too much, because that might manipulate your writing and therefore your creativity.
As far as our life-influences go, it’s even more different, though I must say personally, that my own influences shifted a bit from more personal things to rather global social influences since “Empty Silent And Cold”. But it may yet shift again or even move back. I don’t regulate this at all.
Metal Maniacs: I completely agree with you as far as how focusing on influences can affect your sound, I should have phrased it better as general interests and life-influences. I’m a huge death metal fan myself and seem to listen to that most of the time aside from doom, and am also obsessed with rare Italian horror/doom/prog/metal stuff and any acts related to that sound new or old. I’d probably even skip eating one meal a day if I had to just to buy a really good record, nowadays that would be anything over $10 sadly enough.
You have a few shows lined-up it looks like (from your website), so what do you guys have planned for the near future overall in terms of live actions?
Phil: There won’t be a bigger tour in the near future because we all need to work or study, and there is also no financial tour support from the labels, so this won’t occur for a while. But we plan on a mini-tour currently, also including other countries. Nothing sure yet, except a show in France with Ataraxie and some gigs in Germany with Totenmond and Moder and Dead Remains, so I can’t say much about this yet or promise anything. Playing live is important, so we keep working on it.
Metal Maniacs: I’m currently a student (reason I’m poor) and struggling to finish my last year and go on to a PhD program, so if anyone understands the work and study routine it’s me.
Writing reviews and hearing so much music is awesome for me, but it also has some disappointments when I hear so much bland and uninspired stuff being released as well, it makes the really good stuff pop out even more to my ears. Even given that last statement I still find it damn near impossible to name my favorites unless it’s on a week-by-week basis. If you had to name a few favorite bands and/or albums what would they be?
Phil: Just like you, I could only do this on a week-by-week basis. I could even hardly decide for 50 top-of-all-time records, it ranges from old Manowar-stuff like “Hail To England” over Morbid Angel up to Skepticism “Stormcrowfleet”, but also includes (a little) non-Metal stuff like early 80s New Wave. Ultravox “Rage In Eden” for example.
Metal Maniacs: I also like a lot of non-metal stuff like power electronics/krautrock/heavy psychedelic/ neo-folk/dark ambient/ experimental stuff and some classic industrial like Cabaret Voltaire, Skinny Puppy or The Revolting Cocks, Ultra-Vox are pretty cool…I also really dig a lot of death rock/post punk stuff like: The Chameleons, Alien Sex Fiend, and Red Lorry Yellow Lorry as well. Lately it’s been a mix of grind and crust with Obituary, “Cause of Death” and Napalm Death “From Enslavement to Obliteration” being the two dominant ones.
Phil: That’s not a bad choice.
Well, my most played records during the past week were: Remembrance “Fall, Obsidian Night”, Malevolent Creation “The Ten Commandments”, Drautran “Throne Of The Depths”, Lords Of The New Church “Anthology” and Iron Maiden “The X-Factor”. Rather melodic these days, guess it’s because of fucking summer, hehe. “The X-Factor” is an awesome album, by the way, and Blaze is a cool singer. All the hate against him is totally unnecessary.
Metal Maniacs: I fucking love that Malevolent Creation album, and coincidentally Drautran is one of my all-time favorite metal picks over the last two years or so, Helrunar is another band similar and equally awesome. My current week now that this interview is in the final stages consists of: The Dead, Lord Vicar, Mirror of Deception, and Paul Chain. The last few weeks have been very rough so the doom stuff speaks to me from my own mood and perception of things at this time, i.e. pain and struggles.
So to wrap this thing up, is there anything that you would like to say to close this interview?
Phil: I’d like to thank my good old aunt Marion for introducing me to the sexual pleasures of gasmasks when I was five, and for teaching me not to scream when it really hurts down there. RIP aunt Marion. You were much too young, but that disgusting pus-virus really got you, eh?
Janet, thanks very much for interviewing us, it’s been a pleasure. Thanks for your support.
Cheers to all the readers.
Metal Maniacs: That’s Fucking awesome!!!!!! I love comments like that, great ending Phil…
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