Chargement Interview With Ryan Lipynsky Of Unearthly Trance
It took me quite a while to really get into this band…
I bought “The Trident” when it came out but only listened to it a couple of times. Good for me and you, that was not the case with their last effort, “Electrocution”. I guess this album came out at a good moment for me: spring was still expected in Paris back then… Who knows? Anyway, this unique mixture of Sludge and Hardcore concentrates everything I like in both genres. The production on this LP is really huge and tempos are faster than what you can hear in their previous work which is something I definitely enjoy. On top of excellent music, Unearthly Trance always came up with interesting lyrics and the use of occult symbols. “Electrocution” is no exception to the rule. I needed to know more. So when Relapse gave me the opportunity to interview Ryan Lipynsky I coudn’t say nothing but yes… Apologies to the band and the label for delay, this webzine lives in its own space & time. Check this out, that’s a good one…
emofag: Hi, I’m Simon from emofag webzine, a french webzine about international good music. When I say France you think about ?
Ryan Lipynsky: Well strangely I think about all of your toll-roads first ha ha! I actually really like France and think it’s a very nice place. I like the respect for history culture and the arts. The south of France is really amazing and when I went there many years ago I smoked some great weed. I am not a typical American jerk who blindly dislikes France for no reason at all, I like to check out a place and then decided if I like it.
e: Have you ever been in a trance-like state?
RL: Yes absolutely. Sometimes from focused meditation and other times through mind-altering substances. When music is mixed with one or both of those mentioned the trance is heightened. I have played live before where I close my eyes and kind of loose touch with what is going on around me on many occasions. In fact, that is the goal.
e: When that happenned the last time and why?
RL: The last time was the most powerful time. It was through natural intoxicants and it only lasted 10 minutes and lingered for about an hour. It was an invigorating experience.
e: Did drugs or any chemical substances played a role in this?
RL: I can say yes to that.
e: What’s your Relationship to drugs and booze now?
RL: Smoking and the occasional beer Is my M.O. these days. I’ve mellowed considerably and think it is for the better. The older you get, the more you must understand that moderation is the key for longevity If you think that you get do hard drugs all the time with out consequence you are a fool. These days in the US many are hooked on pharmaceuticals and it has become and even more complex and twisted problem as people are getting hooked on the stuff they get from their doctors. I made a decision to stop ingesting that garbage for good. Just weed from the earth and GOOD brews!
e: Your live pics on your Myspace page are labelled under the name « Rituals »… What’s the purpose of these rituals? What are the forces you summon? Are you not afraid of losing control sometimes?
RL: The purpose is hinted at in the words to the songs. Occasionally you will read PRECISELY what we are summoning. And to your question are we afraid of losing control? That is a great question! I think I am at times and have stated that the band is almost a beast that exists on its own and we serve it. We invoked it and now we must evoke it and to a certain extent, provoke it to be its own chaos entity! That is part of the reason why our sound is never the same and the no two songs are the same sound. Chaos!
e: On some other pictures we can see you guys havin’ fun, hangin ‘ around… I was expecting some more gloomy stuff ! Can we say then that Unearthly Trance is the mere expression of your dark side?
RL: Yes absolutely. We often joke about how the only time we ARE serious on tour is when we turn on the amps and start playing on stage. UT does not present some false image, we go with who we are and take a natural and honest approach to super heavy music. I think the fact that we are all good old friends makes it more of a special and unique force. Unearthly Trance is the Trident of Ryan Jay and Darren. We are a Metal band of occult origin and of course we all know laughter is the best medicine of the soul!
e: Do you need to feel in a particular mood to write riffs or lyrics for Unearthly Trance or is it something completely natural? How music comes to you?
RL: The best writing comes when I haven’t played guitar for a while or haven’t thought about writing in a while. I have been known to pick up a guitar cold and write three or four riffs immediately. Sometimes I even deprive myself of writing to have he ideas almost jump out of my fingers. Writing is a gift and its something that I take great pride in, as it has been there my whole life.
e: How would you describe Unearthly Trance music?
RL: A super Heavy Metal band from NY in 2008 who plays the soundtrack for a diseased world.
e: So, you just released a very solid album called “Electrocution”… How the album has been received so far?
RL: As usual people either hate it or love it. And that is a good thing.
e: It’s your second offering with Relapse… Did this deal bring radical changes for the band ? Is there a pre- and a post-Relapse for Unearthly Trance?
RL: Relapse has had no impact on our music. UT has always been forward thinking and without borders. When we put out a super grim and slow first album “SOS, SOS”, that was considered outside the borders back then, and now people ask why we are not still like that these days haha!!! We are a band that has always taken on opportunities and seized anything that came our way. We have had a lot of good luck so far and Relapse has been good to us. One thing I will say that has changed with Relapse is that they do the artwork. That is the only change on UT.
e: Are you still in contact with Lee and Rise Above?
RL: Not in a while but I missed him the last time he came though NY. Lee is a great guy and hope to see him again soon.
e: Do you make a living from your music?
RL: No! None of us in UT make a living from this music. It is more a life long obsessed with music for me. I have no choice but to make this music. I had the itch since I was 11!
e: I’m curious about the album title… What’s your interpretation of it? Is that some kind of concept album? By looking at the cover it seems something big is coming… to conquer!
RL: You got it!
e: Mystic elements have always been part of your music and lyrics. What do we find in the new songs lyrics wise compared to “The Trident”?
RL: The lyrics are just a natural progression of lyrics that I’ve been writing in Unearthly Trance, even Thralldom and the Howling Wind. There is an anti – n.w.o. stance in the lyrics and it’s a natural progression from things like “Wake Up And Smell The Corpses” from “The Trident”. Things are only getting worse for America and this is the point of view I am writing from. I live in NY. I saw the destruction of 9/11. I saw the lies and corruption. That is America government and media. The anger I have from all of this, as I do tons of reading and research, is ultimately reflected in the lyrics I write but in a purely artistic way.
e: Are you apprentices of any occult tradition? Mystic elements and symbols have always been part of Unearthly Trance… Do you consider yourself as a mystic person? What do you think of all this pagan renaissance with the Asatru and other organizations?
RL: I like that Asatru is meant to restore pre-christian beliefs back into peoples lives and I think that is awesome. The Scandinavian history is rich and people should be proud of that. I however come from the United States which is a whole other trip. We are all people from other nations. However, ever since I child I felt I was a mystic person. Believing in past lives and had a great interest for supernatural and ancient things very early on. But have never belonged to any organizations and never will. I subscribe to the lone wolf ideology.
e: What do you think of the occult through unexpected popular mediums? I’m just thinking about Alan Moore right now…
RL: I think it is very interesting. Because I find people rarely pick up on or believe in anything that might be considered witchcraft or sorcery. They are so indoctrinated to thing magick or the occult is hilarious or a joke. But you see the joke is always on them. People who see something on the occult in popular mediums can be triggered to start doing their own independent research and reading for their own growth and knowledge. TO become aware is the true intelligence.
e: Are you afraid of the rift of 2012 ?
RL: I must be honest. I will be more than a little nervous in 2012. But the way our country is going with our wars, it seems like fate has an ugly way of working itself out.
e: Are there some romantic songs in Unearthly Trance?
RL: Yes, ha ha!!! “Scarlet” off “Electrocution” is our power ballad.
e: Some people think “Electrocution” is not that much different from “The Trident”… What’s your thoughts on this statement ?
RL: I agree to an extent and its funny that some people hear it as totally different from “The Trident”. Opinions are like assholes I suppose.
e: The production is really, really huge… How long did you stay in the studio ? What were the different phases of the recording? Was it a painful birth?
RL: Hell yeah, Sanford Parker once again did a stellar job with the recording and engineering. We recorded “Electrocution” in 9 days I think. First we recorded guitar bass and drums live with seperation of the drums all at the same time. We take a long time setting up sounds and drums so when we are ready for “a take” then we just go for it. After that I overdub extra guitar and any other noises for a song then onto vox for the song. This time we did all guitar overdubs/solos and vox song-by-song rather than just running down the list and then switching. It allowed us to take some time on each songs identity and just flow with ideas and feel.
e: The vocals remind me of Neurosis sometimes… Is that a band you listen to? What do you think of their new album? I must also confess that you did an excellent job with vocals but I really enjoy more the “clean” parts…
RL: Yes, Neurosis is a huge influence of all the members of UT. I think the new Neurosis album is awesome and one of the best out of their recent records. I am glad you say you like the clean vox as its something I really worked at and have been really into developing. My goal is to incorporate more singing but with an increasingly heavy sound. Meaning to continue to bridge the sound of screaming and singing. To have more melody but make it heavier and heavier!!! That is my goal with my vocals. I am getting closer and closer each record and my voice and singing has been getting better in my eyes.
e: You also like very much His Hero Is Gone if I’m not wrong… Did you listen to Tragedy their new band?
RL: Yes I love the heaviness of His Hero Is Gone and their ideas in their lyrics and DIY approach. I indeed like Tragedy and think their first and second record fucking kills! They are playing NY this friday and its sadly sold out! Fuck!!!
e: Actually if I like the album that much it’s because there’s a lot of fast parts in it… I really love the Hardcore edge of some songs and I think it really fits with the urban aspect of your music… What do you think?
RL: Yes we are from NY. We grew up in a very vibrant and alive underground Hardcore scene. We used to listen to lots of hardcore in the 90’s and it still shows in our sound. It’s a form of music and attitude that has never left us.
e: What’s in your CD player these days?
Ryan Lipynsky: Old Dissection, Katatonia, Thin Lizzy, Born Against, New Portishead, Dax Riggs, Darkthrone (always!), old ZZ Top, first two Iron Maiden, Jex Thoth, Mars Volta, Motorhead, Autopsy, Birushanah, Black Cobra etc…
e: You just did a tour in the US and I guess you were pretty excited to play the new stuff live. How was the tour? What’s your favorite “Electrocution” songs live?
RL: We did a tour with Black Cobra and Pelican and it was great. Both bands played awesome every night and were all great guys. Best group of people. The shows were all really good for the most part and despite lots of van problems we managed to kick ass most nights! The new songs are great live and so far “Diseased” and “God Is A Beast” were the most played live on tour. I really like playing “Distant Roads Overgrown” live as it really allows me to trance out!
e: Now that you’re back from tour, how do you spend your time? Is there any recent art (books, movies or music) discovery you want to share with our readers?
RL: I spend lots of my free time with my girlfriend. We live together and like to cook organic vegetarian food a lot and do very normal people things ha ha!!! Otherwise I’m constantly busy with my other bands: Villains, The Howling Wind and Pollution, a new Hardcore/Punk band I play bass/vox for… On tour the only thing Unearthly Trance does is go insane with jokes and marijuana. We also like to try to drink GOOD beers.
e: What’s your ultimate purpose with Unearthly Trance? Is it all about turning piss into gold?
RL: In a way, yes. Our band is an alchemical process! We take shit and turn it into a diamond! “Woo hoooo Black Diamond!” Ha ha ha!!! But seriously, our ultimate purpose to write great occult Metal. That is and was our only purpose.
e: By the way, what’s new with Thralldom? Can you introduce us to the NYC Black Metal scene?
RL: Thralldom broke up in 2006 and I formed a new band called The Howling Wind with my good friend Tim that is basically a continuation of Thralldom. We released our first cd on Profound Lore Records and now we will be releasing a new 7” on Trust No One out of Sweden.
e: I think that the US BM scene is now one of the strongest, if not the strongest, with bands like
Xasthur, Leviathan, Weakling, Krohm, Nachtmystium just to name a few… How do you explain that? What’s your favorite BM bands?
RL: Its funny in the US, a common thought is that the good Black Metal these days is from France! Funny how that works.. I think 95% of Black Metal sucks these days. I like Leviathan and Nachtmystium, the new recording with Sanford is quite cool and different!, out of the bands you mentioned. I’ve given up trying to find out new BM bands and usually only seek out older more obscure bands usually from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. From the US my favorite BM bands are Profanatica, Absu and GBK.
e: What do you think of the recent departure of Tom G Warrior from the mighty Celtic Frost?
RL: I don’t really know to be honest. He seems like a very emotional guy and is an all or nothing kind of person. If he wasn’t into it then he made the right call. I couldn’t afford to see their reunion tour but I thought the new record was decent. The old stuff is where it is at for me though.
e: What’s the immediate future for Unearthly Trance? When do you guys coming over Europe?
RL: Europe is the next place we will tour. When and where has not yet been determined.
e: Have you already think about the next album? You released two EPs in 2007 after “The Trident”. Did you plan some other EP releases?
RL: We have some ideas. Obviously it won’t sound like “Electrocution”. I have a few ideas riff wise in my head and things im messing around with but right now UT is not writing and we are taking a bit of break. We have a few split 10” and 7” coming out of some older songs and covers!
e: What’s your most vivid memories from your last european tour? Do you notice any changes in the crowd compared to the US?
RL: We had a great last tour with Ramesses. The most vivid memory was unfortunately not a good one. We blew a tire going really fast down a major road in Sweden. The bus swerved out of control sideways, and luckily NO cars were behind us. Miraculously a cop showed up immediately and sectioned off our fucked van in the middle of this busy motorway! We got real lucky on that one!
The crowds were bigger than the previous tour and were also able to hit some countries that we had not yet played. Another vivid memory is the last show in London with Gallhammer as we got wasted on Jagermeister and actually somehow played well!
e: What’s your view on the current US government? Will you vote for the next election?
RL: Well I could write a book on it and probably should on the first part of that question. I’ll just say that the US government has been over take by the Military Industrial Complex and the American people are eventually going to swindled out of their finances, homes, rights, sovereignty and possibly lives in they don’t wak up! Shit is grim over here, but people are still sleepwalking. I will vote but I have no faith it will do a damn thing. I’ll probably vote for Ralph Nader out of principle since he is the only one that isn’t in the pockets of big business.
It’s all a scam. The majority of Americans are religious slaves of extortion and distortion.
e: This interview comes to an end… Thanks for your time, is there something you like to add?
RL: Thanks for the interesting questions and you have quite a strange name for your zine! Ha ha!!!
93 93/93
Ryan Lipynsky
OFFICIAL UNEARTHLY TRANCE WEBSITE:
http://www.unearthlytrance.com/
OFFICIAL UNEARTHLY TRANCE MYSPACE PAGE:
http://www.myspace.com/utny
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